Celtic Hagiography and Saints' Cults

Book excerpt: This group of revised papers, taken from a conference held at the University of Wales in Lampeter in 2000, reflects the diversity of the different forms of saints' cults and hagiography within the Celtic regions of Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Brittany and Cornwall. Written by leading scholars, these fifteen studies focus on evidence from the mid 4th to early 20th century, evidence which includes saints' Lives, poetry and prose narratives referring to saints, holy wells and shrines, songs, relics, church dedications, archaeology and iconograpphy. Among the saints discussed are St Patrick, St David, St Birgit and St Brendan.