Baglan is place synonymous with the saint who lived here 1500 years ago. He was sent out from Illtud’s Llan equipped with a crozier (an Abbot’s or Bishop’s staff) which was still in existence until the seventeenth century.
Illtud told Baglan to build his church in the west at a “tree with three fruits” but he chose a different spot. Each time he built his timber church it was washed or moved away by night. Finally, Baglan gave in. He moved to the tree where the three fruits were found in the form of a crow’s nest, a bee hive and a litter of pigs which rummaged at its roots.
The remains of the Medieval church which stood on the spot of his Llan was damaged by fire in the 1950s, and never repaired. It is perhaps ironic, since the fire he fanned within his own cloak at Illtud’s Llan, and which did not burn, alerted Illtud to his holiness. Inside the nineteenth century Church of St Catherine, a stone’s throw away is a monument from the old church called ‘The cross of Baruf’ which dates from the 9th-10th century.
Hwyl
Honed by his sometime home
in Illtud's Llan,
he hid fire
in the folds of his own cloak,
a fire that did not burn.
This one had fire in his belly.
So Illtud sent him off,
with staff in hand,
and here he made his home
on the mountainside
of Mynydd-yr-Gaer.
He built his Llan
beneath the caws and coos,
the clicks and rattles of a crow's nest,
scooped honey from the guts of the tree,
laboured the land
with a litter of pigs
who nuzzled their way
through the undergrowth
made warm by fallen oak leaves.
Here, he marked out his timber church,
along the line of water
which flowed
and flows still,
the water we know as Nant Baglan.
Yes, this one had fire in his belly.
Bible Reading
From Exodus 3:1-6 Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian; he led his flock beyond the wilderness, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of a bush; he looked, and the bush was blazing, yet it was not consumed. Then Moses said, ‘I must turn aside and look at this great sight, and see why the bush is not burned up.’ When the Lord saw that he had turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, ‘Moses, Moses!’ And he said, ‘Here I am.’ Then he said, ‘Come no closer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.’ He said further, ‘I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.
Prayer
Lord God,
beneath the burned out ruins
of Baglan's church
is the land on which he stood.
We stand with him
and make our prayer
between the mountains
which surround us.
May your love surround us,
and burn within us,
so that we recognise Christ
in the Scriptures,
in the Breaking of Bread,
in the world you have made,
and in all we are called to serve.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Stay Awhile
Stay awhile, be still, and be at peace.
Enjoy the trees,
see how they move and sound,
brushed by the breeze,
their changing colours and hues
Hear the bird song
and the sounds and seasons of nature.
Pay attention to those who pass by,
passing by car or on foot,
to all who travel along the road
that runs by.
Commend them to God in prayer,
release them to his love,
a love which is for all.
Pray for
Pray for the people of Baglan,
for all the churches here,
for Port Talbot Ministry Area.
Pray for a growing respect and care
for God's Creation.
Hwyl Fawr
May God's love burn within us, may God's light shine upon us, may God's breath give us life. Amen. St Baglan, pray for us. St Iltud pray or us. All the Saints of God, pray for us.
LINKS & INFO
Website: www.porttalbotministryarea.org
Where next?
Plan your journey to the next part of the Llanscape of Wales using our Google Maps Trail:
South Cardiff Ministry Area 