Wales 2007:  please e-mail your photos for inclusion on the website

We received the warmest of Welsh welcomes at the Ffald-y-Brenin Retreat Centre in Pembrokeshire.  Welsh, for The King's Sheepfold the retreat centre was considered by the group one of the best places we have stayed at on pilgrimage and the "hobbit" like appearance only added to its charm.                                                                                                       Ffald-y-Brenin Retreat Centre

 

The pilgrimage was led by Metropolitan Kallistos of Diokleia and was entitled "Earth and Heaven in Welsh Spirituality". For some pilgrims this was their first time in Wales, for others a welcome return to a land where signs of a robust Christian past (and present) was not hard to find.

 

To read Howard Huws's impressions of Wales 2007 please click on one of the buttons below

                               

 

After introductions on Saturday evening we retired to bed early tired from our journeys.  On Sunday Metropolitan Kallistos and Hieromonk Nicanor served the Divine Liturgy ably assisted by Deacons James and Christopher.  Although the clergy came from the UK, the Russian Far East, the USA and Australia (our "furtherest " ever pilgrims) the services were celebrated beautifully with next to no hesitation helped by the expert chanting of subdeacon Joshua who seemed to be able to switch between English, Slavonic, and Greek seamlessly and by the end of week he was even leading us in the singing of the Lord have Mercy in Welsh.

 

                                                PHOTO NEEDED - HELP!

Deacon James (USA)            Subdeacon Joshua and Shambassey Corinne        Deacon Christopher (Australia)

When we had arrived we set up the meeting room as best we could to resemble an Orthodox church.  It didn't look much to start with, but by the end of the day people had brought icons, stands, cloths, crosses and a candle stand and by God's Grace an Orthodox temple was taking shape.

After lunch we made an afternoon visit eager to see one of finest Celtic High Crosses in Wales in the graveyard of St Brynach's Church in Nevern founded in the 6th century.  It was therefore somewhat unfortunate that we managed to leave Metropolitan Kallistos and Susan the pilgrimage Organiser behind at the Ffald... however when we returned to find our leaders we found them at the bottom of the lane waiting for us and as Metropolitan Kallistos gently remarked - it would doubtless remind us of the need of the episcopacy!

Nevern Church

 

The site of Nevern Church is three quarters as old as Christianity and famous for the tenth century cross in its ancient churchyard which is circular and surrounded with yews both of which are classic signs of an ancient church.    It also boasts other ancient crosses and an ogham stone two of which have been set into the church as window sills.

                  

Celtic crosses in St Brynach's Parish church, Nevern

 

Ogham slab in St Brynach's Parish church, Nevern

 

After singing the Akathist to the Holy Cross we walked through the pretty village to see the pilgrims' cross carved in the side of a nearby hill and which pilgrims on the way from St Winifred's Well to the shrine of St David would kneel to venerate along with some interesting nearby crosses incised into steps leading into the woods.

After a short drive (this time ensuring we had brought the Metropolitan...) we stopped off at Pentre Ifan, the prehistoric megalith which would have already been ancient to St Brynach. and saw in the distance the brooding Mynydd Carn Ingli - the Hill of Angels, so called because St Brynach would climb to its summit to converse with angels.  Climbing to the summit was for another day.

 

Pentre Ifan megalith

 

The pathway to the summit of Carn Ingli

 

Sunday evening we met an old friend Dr Jonathan Wooding from Lampeter University who had spoken to us five years previously in Dalmally but who tonight gave us a very interesting and scholarly talk on how Christianity came to Wales and the significance of St David and gave us a copy of the vita of St Brynach in both Latin and English along with the lives of St Brynach.  We concluded the day with Night Prayers and retired for the night.

 

Monday:  This was our first major excursion and it was to the city of St David's - the smallest in the UK - to see the traditional site of the birth of Dewi Sant/Saint David, the patron saint of Wales and the nearby Holy Well dedicated to St Non his mother where Metropolitan Kallistos served the Blessing of the Waters service.

 

Traditional birthplace of Dewi Sant - St David of Wales

 

          

Holy Well dedicated to St Non, mother of St David of Wales

 

It was a warm late summer's day and our singing drew the attention of two or three visitors to the birthplace of St David who mosied over for a look at what was going on.  They remained and they, like us, partook of the blessed water.

 

           

The Blessing of the Waters

After our packed lunch overlooking the sea, we proceeded to St David's Cathedral.  The original church has long gone and a glorious building now stands in its place.  Indeed so impressed were the pilgrims from Russia pictured below that they eagerly took photos over the wall

 

 pilgrims from Russia eager to photograph the Cathedral

 

The Dean of the Cathedral graciously met us and we had time to explore the Cathedral before meeting by the ancient shrine of St David in the mid afternoon for prayer.  By kind permission of the Dean and Chapter the Verger brought forward the reliquary presented 90 years previously by Orthodox patriarchs who had visited the cathedral to contain what were believed to be the relics of St David and St Justinian. Unfortunately carbon dating has shown that the bones date from the time of the twelfth century and the building of the shrine.

 

 

 

St David's Church in Wales Cathedral

 

The reliquary did however contained bones from the sixth century - believed to be those of St Caradog - and so we venerated the reliquary asking for his holy prayers.

                        

                            the nave of the cathedral                                                          the choir of the cathedral

On returning to the Ffald and another splendid dinner, Metropolitan Kallistos gave a talk on "The World of Nature in Welsh Spirituality".  Interspersed with prayers and poems the celtic - and specifically Welsh - love of nature the words contained shone through. While this love of nature was not, of course, unique to the celtic countries, nevertheless it was clearly demonstrated in the texts placed before us.

 

To read Matushka Julie's impressions on Monday please click on the button below

 

 

Tuesday:  We were blessed with another day of good weather and we drove through the countryside already showing a hint of autumn to the delightful town of Tenby from where we caught  the boat to Caldey Island.

 

       

Tenby Harbour where we caught the ferry to Caldey Island      

 

Caldey still has a monastic presence through the Roman Catholic Cistercian Order and upon arrival we were met by Brother Gildas who had the habit of a Cistercian, the beard of an Orthodox and a knowledge of local celtic Christian sites and traditions second to none.  He was our guide for the day and graciously gave us a tour around the island

I         

Brother Gildas                                                  the Caldey Stone

 

the walk to the guest house

 

the sanctuary of St Illtyd's church

The Cistercian guest house was our base for lunch and a haven of quietness away from the noisy visitors to the island.  We had lunch there before a tour of the island and a visit to the ancient churches on the island - although it seemed that every bump or tuck in the landscape contained hidden secrets which Brother Gildas pointed out to us and explained their historical context.  Of special interest was the Caldey stone in St Illtyd's church - Brother Gildas pointed out that the stone inscribed with a cross through pilgrims tracing it with their fingers was always dry whereas the church building itself was - as we could see - damp and green with mould.  He put it down to the 'holiness' of the stone.

 

            

relic of our father among the saints Samson of Dol

 

But we had one further unexpected blessing before we left.  Back in the Guesthouse where we had a welcome cup of tea Brother Gildas brought in the reliquary of St Samson of Dol who had been Abbot on the island. We instinctively stood up and in turn proceeded to venerate this well known saint who had touched the life of Brittany as well as Wales.

 

                

pilgrims venerating the holy relics of Saint Samson

To read Mother Nectaria's impressions on Tuesday please click on the button below

 

 

Wednesday: In the morning Hieromonk Nicanor who had travelled from the city of Khabarovsk in the Russian Far East gave a fascinating talk on his work among the young people of this Russian city so close to the border with China and Korea.  Father Nicanor had started up "the Hobbit Club" for the youth of his parish many of whom had been totally unchurched.  Through enactment of scenes from Lord of the Rings (including dramatic rides on horseback and sword fights!) in time many had been led to a living faith and had sought to be received into the Church.  As well as promoting local Russian culture Father Nicanor demonstrated a great love for the celtic saints and had served missionary moliebens to them -  quite remarkably saints such as Patrick, Columba and David were being loved and venerated by Orthodox in Siberia as they were in the British Isles.

After lunch we drove to Carew to see another of the great High Crosses of Wales.  Half as old as Christianity it continues to stand a silent yet compelling testament to those passing by on the main road over which it stands.

 

 

                               

 Carew High Cross

 

 

           

                                             Explanatory Plaque                                                              Panel Detail

 

For many people the highlight of the pilgrimage was the subsequent visit to Saint Govan's chapel. Situated on the edge of a MOD firing range you don't realise there is anything there until you get to the cliffside and then look over to see the roof of the chapel.                 

Apart from a tiled roof put on to protect it in the 13th century the building dates from the 6th century.  Known as one of the Seven Wonders of Wales legend says that St Govan's bones are interred within the altar of the church.  Nearby was St Govan's Holy Well although the waters dried up about a hundred years ago.

 

     

Saint Govan's chapel and surrounding view

We sang prayers in the chapel and then we went down to the area by the beach. Spontaneously and doubtless as St Govan himself must have done we just sat down and watched and listen to the sea each of us musing in silence.  After about a quarter of an hour we returned to the Ffald for dinner and a further talk by Metropolitan Kallistos.

 

Thursday:  It was a perfect day to go for a walk - and that is what we did with most of us choosing to climb to the top of Carn Ingli in honour of St Brynach.  Each taking their own pace we slowly climbed in a corkscrew fashion through the bracken and heather until after a steep - but short - climb at the end we all reached the top. There are three peaks but hidden beyond the third there is a dell which if present in St Brynach's day would have been the obvious place to pray.