Editing Llandaff Cathedral (section)

===Legendary origins===
[[File:Llandaff Cathedral Nave.jpg|thumb|left|upright|The nave after the 1723 collapse]]
There is common consensus that the [[Norman architecture|Norman]] cathedral was constructed on the site of an ancient [[Celtic Christianity|Celtic church]], but there is little consensus on the original church's age, importance or size.

==== Lucius of Britain ====
Welsh tradition associates the church's founding with [[Lucius of Britain|Lucius]], the legendary 2nd-century [[King of the Britons]] and the first Christian convert in Britain. Lucius was believed to have beseeched Pope ([[Pope Eleutherius|Eleutherius]]) to convert him to Christianity. The Pope's response was to send a Christian mission to Britain, which would include the building of Britain's first church. The [[Welsh Triads]] relate this tradition to Llandaff, stating that Lucius "made the first Church at Llandaf, which was the first in the Isle of Britain." another triad lists "the three archbishoprics of the Isle of Britain" and states that "the first was Llandaf, of the gift of Lleirwg (Lucius), the son of Coel, the son of Cyllin, who first gave lands and civil privileges to such as first embraced the faith in Christ." Although the Lucius legend is now considered to be pseudo-history, it was recounted by [[Nennius]], [[Bede]] and [[Geoffrey of Monmouth]], and seems to have been widely accepted in the medieval period.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Williams |first1=John |title=The ecclesiastical antiquities of the Cymry: or, The ancient British church; its history, doctrine, and rites |date=1844 |publisher=W. J. Cleaver |location=London |page=69 |url=https://archive.org/details/ecclesiasticalan00will/page/68/mode/2up?q=elvan&view=theater |access-date=16 December 2021}}</ref>

Four names are associated with the task of executing the Pope's wishes; these include the early Welsh saints [[Fagan]], [[Deruvian]] and [[Elvan]]. Fagan is sometimes named as "the first Bishop of Llandaff" while all three became patrons of churches and villages throughout the diocese. [[Iolo Morgannwg]] also linked these early figures to Llandaff, writing extensively on this supposed early foundation. In the [[Iolo Manuscripts]], he credits Fagan as the second Bishop of Llandaff (succeeding Dyfan, a figure Iolo conflates with Deruvian).<ref>Bartrum (2009), [http://www.llgc.org.uk/fileadmin/fileadmin/docs_gwefan/casgliadau/Drych_Digidol/Deunydd_print/Welsh_Classical_Dictionary/05_D-E-F.pdf "Duvianus (1)", p.&nbsp;236.]</ref><ref name=yolo>[[John Williams (Ab Ithel)|Williams, John]]. [https://books.google.com/books?id=4hoDAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA73 ''The Ecclesiastical Antiquities of the Cymry: or the Ancient British Church; Its History, Doctrine, and Rites'', p.&nbsp;73.] W.J. Cleaver (London), 1844.</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Ollivant |first1=Alfred |title=Some Account of the Condition of the Fabric of Llandaff Cathedral chiefly from 1575 to the present time. |year=1860 |publisher=Rivingtons |pages=[https://archive.org/details/someaccountofcon00olli/page/4 4] |url=https://archive.org/details/someaccountofcon00olli |ref=none}}</ref><ref name=CathedralHistory>{{cite web|url=http://www.llandaffcathedral.org.uk/history.htm |title=A short history |work=Llandaff Cathedral website |publisher=Dean and Chapter of Llandaff Cathedral |access-date=10 October 2007 |url-status=unfit |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071217100106/http://www.llandaffcathedral.org.uk/history.htm |archive-date=17 December 2007 }}</ref>{{efn|An account in the [[Book of Llandaff]] is that in 156AD, [[Lucius of Britain|King Lucius]] sent two ambassadors, Elfan and Medwy, to [[Pope Eleutherius]] asking that he be made a Christian and that his subjects might also become Christians. Both ambassadors were baptised and ordained, with Elfan being made a bishop. Both men returned to Britain where they taught and converted many in the court of King Lucius. Elfan is said to have become the first Bishop of Llandaff.{{sfn|Clifton|Willmott|1907|p=19}}}}

==== Saint Dubricius ====

In their writings on Lucius of Britain, both [[Geoffrey of Monmouth]] and [[Iolo Morganwg]] state that the original Christian community at Llandaff was re-established by [[Dubricius|Saint Dyfrig (Dubricius)]] and his successor, [[Saint Teilo]]. The most notable legends surrounding these two state that Saint Dyfrig was made Archbishop by [[Saint Germanus of Auxerre]] while he travelled through Britain to oppose the Pelagian heresy, and link both saints with [[King Arthur]].

The Normans considered Dyfrig and Teilo as the cathedral's founders and they, along with their successor [[Oudoceus]], are the modern cathedral's [[patron saints]].<ref name=CathedralHistory/> The continuation of a Post-Roman church is supported by the high number of ancient remains at the site (most notably an ancient [[Celtic cross]] at the Bishop's Court's well) and both secular and ecclesiastical writings.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://newspapers.library.wales/view/3439006/3439011/41/llandaff%20celtic%20cross|title=Llandaff|publisher=Monmouthshire Merlin|date=14 May 1870|page=5|access-date=19 May 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://newspapers.library.wales/view/4467365/4467368/35/llandaff%20celtic%20cross|title=Singular Discovery of an Ancient Cross at Llandaff|date=12 May 1870|page=3 |work=[[Western Mail (Wales)|Western Mail]]|access-date=19 May 2016}}</ref>