Welsh Journals

L. I. C. & M. I. e^KK&fr Mip>*$£Q iihwg&$&. The iWessengsr of the Catholic Church, (Camhro Breton Mission). LLANRWST, North Wales. Se. I. 10th October 1909. No. 8. •fa *fa >fa *fa *fa *fa *fa *fa *fa <fa *fa «fa *fa »fa *fa *fa »fa «fa *fa *fa *fa *fa >fa *fa *fa *fa *fa *fa *fa *fa *fa •fa Previous to the so-called " Kef ormation," Wales or Cambria was indeed a "land of song," of sacred song : for a thousand years or more, from north to south and from east to west, in all parts of the country, resounded the divine praises, sung, from generation to generation, by multitudinous choirs of monks, supported, in their sacred functions, by innumerable congregations of Welsh Catholics, who came to their churches to attend Holy Mass and take part in the other religious services. Benedictines and Augustinians, Franciscans and Premonstratensians, Dominicans and Cistercians, etc., possessed, throughout the land, a greater or lesser number of monasteries. To confine ourselves to the last-named Order, by far the most numerous in Wales, we may say that they had houses at Neath, Tintern, Trefgarn (and Whitland), Margam, Cwmhir, Strata-Florida, Strata-Marcella, Aber-Conway (and Maenan), Cymmer, Clynnog-Fawr, Valle-Crucis, Dore, Grace-Dieu, Caerleon, Llantarnam and Basingwerk, together with nunneries at Llanlugan, Llanlyr and, perhaps, Gwytherin, etc. About our " own " Abbey at Maenan, I have not much to say. Founded at Aber- conwy (now Conway) by Llewelyn the Great, who there died (April 11th, 1240), it was removed, in 1283, by order of Edward I, to the said Maenan (three miles from Llanrwst); and there of it nothing remains now, except perhaps a door in one of the walls. Glory be to the Vandals who destroyed it!—But, I have lately visited Mynachlog Llan Bgwestl or Valle Crucis Abbey, near Llangollen (DenbighshireJ, where I weepingly admired the grand and majestic ruins of a magnificent Gothic church. Found¬ ed, about the year 1200, by Macloc ap Griffith Maelor, and destroyed, in 1535, by order of Oliver Cromwell, of sweet memory ; there are still remaining of it the east and west ends, the south transept, and several pillars and arches. In front of where was once the high Altar, there are six well-preserved tombs ; and the nave of the church, where large Welsh congregations once piously assisted at Holy Mass, there is now a beautiful...lawn !—Parce, Domine, parce populo tuo : ne in seternum irascaris nobis ! G.M. Tebbaol, o.m.i.