# Peulan

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{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2015}}
{{Use British English|date=November 2015}}
Saint '''Peulan''' was a Welsh holy man in the early part of the 6th century, the son of [Paulinus](/source/Paulinus_of_Wales), a saint from south Wales who taught [Saint David](/source/Saint_David).  A follower of [Cybi](/source/Cybi), a saint associated with the island of [Anglesey](/source/Anglesey) in north Wales, Peulan is commemorated in the dedication of the church he reportedly founded, [St Peulan's Church, Llanbeulan](/source/St_Peulan's_Church%2C_Llanbeulan), on Anglesey.

==Life and commemoration==
Little is known for certain about Peulan or his life.  His dates of birth and death are not recorded, although he is said to have lived in the early part of the 6th century.<ref name=Enwog>{{cite book|title=Enwogion Cymru: A biographical dictionary of eminent Welshmen, from the earliest times to the present, and including every name connected with the ancient history of Wales |url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb__wMGAAAAQAAJ|quote=peulan. |accessdate=15 June 2010|page=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb__wMGAAAAQAAJ/page/n401 403]|last=Williams|first=Robert|year=1852|publisher=W. Rees}}</ref>  He is said to have been the son of Paul Hên o Fanaw (also known as [Paulinus](/source/Paulinus_of_Wales)), a 5th-century saint associated with [Whitland](/source/Whitland) in [Carmarthenshire](/source/Carmarthenshire), south Wales, and who taught [Saint David](/source/Saint_David).<ref name=Enwog/><ref name=Saint>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/livesofbritishsa04bariuoft|pages=[https://archive.org/details/livesofbritishsa04bariuoft/page/103 103]–104|title=The lives of the British Saints : the Saints of Wales and Cornwall and such Irish Saints as have dedications in Britain|authorlink=Sabine Baring-Gould|first=Sabine |last=Baring-Gould|year=1907|accessdate=15 June 2010|publisher=[Honourable Society of Cymmrodorion](/source/Honourable_Society_of_Cymmrodorion)}}</ref>  Peulan means "little Paul".<ref name=Saint/> Peulan's sister is said to have been [Gwenfaen](/source/Gwenfaen), a saint commemorated in the name of a [church](/source/St_Gwenfaen's_Church%2C_Rhoscolyn) at [Rhoscolyn](/source/Rhoscolyn), on [Holy Island, Anglesey](/source/Holy_Island%2C_Anglesey). His brother was [Gwyngeneu](/source/Gwyngeneu), who was also commemorated with a church on Holy Island that no longer exists.<ref name=Saint/>

Peulan was a follower of the [Anglesey](/source/Anglesey)-based saint [Cybi](/source/Cybi), and travelled there with him from Cornwall; he is said to have been one of Cybi's twelve "seamen" forming his "family." He is the reputed founder of [St Peulan's Church, Llanbeulan](/source/St_Peulan's_Church%2C_Llanbeulan); it is said that he founded the first church there in 630, although the earliest parts of the present building date from the 12th century.<ref name=Saint/><ref name=Lewis>{{cite book|url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=47843#s2|title=A Topographical Dictionary of Wales |year=1849|chapter=Llanbeulan|accessdate=9 June 2010|last=Lewis|first=Samuel|authorlink=Samuel Lewis (publisher)}}</ref>  The church is now closed and in the care of the [Friends of Friendless Churches](/source/Friends_of_Friendless_Churches).<ref name=Friends>{{cite web|url=http://www.friendsoffriendlesschurches.org.uk/CMSMS/index.php?page=llanbeulan|title=Llanbeulan St Peulan|publisher=[Friends of Friendless Churches](/source/Friends_of_Friendless_Churches)|accessdate=9 June 2010|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110701080937/http://www.friendsoffriendlesschurches.org.uk/CMSMS/index.php?page=llanbeulan|archivedate=1 July 2011|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

He is venerated as a saint, although he was never canonized by a pope: as the historian Jane Cartwright notes, "In Wales sanctity was locally conferred and none of the medieval Welsh saints appears to have been canonized by the Roman Catholic Church".<ref>{{cite journal|journal=Medium Aevum |title=Dead virgins: feminine sanctity in medieval Wales|date=Spring 2002|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb6408/is_1_71/ai_n28930393/?tag=content;col1|accessdate=26 August 2011|last=Cartwright|first=Jane|publisher=The Society for the Study of Medieval Languages and Literature}}</ref> His feast day in the Welsh [calendars of saints](/source/calendar_of_saints) is given, variously, as 1 November or 2 November, although celebrations at St Peulan's Church were also noted to have taken place on 17 March.<ref name=Saint/>

==See also==
Other Anglesey saints commemorated in local churches include:
*[St Cwyllog](/source/Cwyllog) at [St Cwyllog's Church, Llangwyllog](/source/St_Cwyllog's_Church%2C_Llangwyllog)
*[St Eleth](/source/Elaeth) at [St Eleth's Church, Amlwch](/source/St_Eleth's_Church%2C_Amlwch)
*[St Iestyn](/source/Iestyn_(saint)) at [St Iestyn's Church, Llaniestyn](/source/St_Iestyn's_Church%2C_Llaniestyn)
*[St Tyfrydog](/source/Tyfrydog) at [St Tyfrydog's Church, Llandyfrydog](/source/St_Tyfrydog's_Church%2C_Llandyfrydog)

==References==
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Category:Welsh Roman Catholic saints
Category:6th-century Christian saints
Category:Medieval Welsh saints

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Peulan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peulan) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peulan?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.