St. David of Wales

St. David of Wales, known in Welsh as Dewi Sant, was a monk and bishop of the sixth century, traditionally born in the region of Pembrokeshire in southwestern Wales, of noble and, by tradition, partly royal descent. He became the leading figure of the Welsh Church of his age, founding many monasteries and churches throughout Wales and the west of Britain, the chief of them at the place now called St Davids, which became the center of his labors and a great religious site.

He was renowned for the extreme austerity of the monastic life he established, in which the monks labored hard with their own hands, drank only water, ate simply of bread and herbs, and gave themselves to constant prayer and study, so that he was surnamed "the Waterman." Tradition tells of his part in a synod at Llanddewi Brefi, where his preaching against the Pelagian heresy so moved the assembly that he was acclaimed and made, by some accounts, primate of the Welsh Church. He died, by tradition, about 589, and his last words urged his followers to "be joyful, keep the faith, and do the little things." He is the patron saint of Wales, celebrated on 1 March.