St. David of Wales (P 001) with Famous Quote Ceramic Tile

Saint David (or Dewi Sant in Welsh; c. 542-c. 601) was archbishop of Mynyw, Wales, during the 6th century. 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. The small hillock on which St. David stands is actually an element of his iconography too. According to tradition, as St. David began to speak to the crowd at the Synod of Brefi a spectator on the fringes yelled out: “We can’t hear you!” And, the ground rose up to form a hill--an earth dais--from which St. David was able to be heard by all in attendance! It is his best-known miracle. + The quotation is from St. David’s final sermon delivered the Sunday before his death. In Welsh, it reads: “Bydwch lawen a chedwch ych ffyd a'ch cret, a gwnewch y petheu bychein a glywyssawch ac a welsawch gennyf i. A mynheu a gerdaf y fford yd aeth an tadeu idi”. This quote has given rise to a common Welsh proverb: “Do the little things in life” [“Gwnewch y pethau bychain mewn bywyd"]. Not bad advice even in the 21st century! + 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. + The quotations are in the public domain.