St. David of Wales (P 001) and His Flag

Saint David (or Dewi Sant in Welsh; c. 542-c. 601) was archbishop of Mynyw, Wales, during the 6th century. A native son descended from Welsh royalty, St. David became a monk and a priest noted for his teaching and preaching. Invited to speak at the Synod of Brefi though only a minor abbot, his vigourous arguments against Pelagianism, a heresy that denied original sin and affirmed the ability of humans to be morally good on their own without God’s grace, earned him election by acclamation as archbishop. He founded numerous monasteries in Britain and Brittany (western coastal France) which adhered to an austere rule based in part on practices of the Desert Fathers of Egypt. According to some sources, he travelled to the Holy Land where he was anointed by the Patriarch of Jerusalem confirming his archiepiscopacy. Today, Mynyw is known as St. David’s, Wales, after its most famous bishop and beloved saint. And, his feast day, though not an official British national holiday, is celebrated throughout Wales by wearing leeks or daffodils, flying St. David’s flag, eating traditional Welsh foods, putting on school concerts, and holding civic parades. + Here, St. David, clad in episcopal garb and carrying his crosier, is accompanied by his principal attribute the Holy Spirit in the guise of a dove. The descent of the Holy Spirit on the archbishop is emblematic of St. David’s authority to teach and preach. + Behind St. David is his flag. The Flag of Saint David (or Baner Dewi Sant in Welsh) consists of a yellow cross on a black field. Though similar to the arms of the diocese over which St. David presided, his flag was not in widespread usage as a patriotic symbol prior to 1994 when it was heavily promoted by a clothier. In the years since, it has gained in popularity and has been widely adopted as an alternative to the Red Dragon, the official flag of Wales. As a subsidiary emblem, the Flag of Saint David is equivalent to other Saint Flags in the British repertory—namely, flags with the crosses of SS. George, Andrew, Patrick, Piran, and Petroc that represent England, Scotland, Ireland, Cornwall, and Devon respectively. St. David’s Flag naturally plays a central role in St. David’s Day festivities, especially the parades held on March 1, St. David’s feast day. + St. David is patron saint of Wales, doves, and vegans and vegetarians. + Feast: March 1 + Image Credit (P 001): Figure extracted from an antique image of St. David of Wales from a late 19th-century devotional print in chromoxylography, originally published by Friedrich Pustet, Regensburg, New York, and Cincinnati. From the designer’s private collection of religious ephemera. + Image Credit (Flag of St. David): Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons.