LLANDRILLO-YN-RHOS PARISH

St Trillo depicted

in the Parish Church

of St Trillo, Llandrillo,

 

Very little is known about the lives of the early Saints in Wales. Most of their biographieswere written some hundreds of years after they had lived. The word “Saint” was often used by local people for those who lived a Christian life, perhaps as a monk, rather than being given to someone who had been Beatified. According to Sabine Baring-Gould and John Fisher in “Lives of the British Saints”, Trillo was the son of Ithel Hael ofLlydaw, Annoriea, the modern Brittany. His brother was Saint Tegai and sister Saint Lleehid. They landed in Britain with their kinsman Saint Cadfitn in the 6th Century. Saint Trillo may have studied on Bardsey Island. At this time the western sea routes of the British Isles saw much activity. Contact was maintained between Gaul, Britainand Ireland. North Wales, occupying a central position in the Irish Sea, was particularly accessible to seafarers fromIreland, the south western parts of Scotland as well as South Wales, Cornwall and western France. Saint Trilio is thought to have established himself on the shore in the area now known as Rhos on Sea. He may have built himself an enclosure and chapel or “Lian”, by a spring of fresh water on the seaward side of what was then an island. Thus arose the site that became known as the “Lian of Trillo” or “Llandrillo-yn-Rhos”. Here he ministered to the local farmers and fishermen. The spring was accorded Holy properties and was used for Baptisms throughout the locality. It is now covered by St Trillo’s Chapel on the Shore. Today that island is bounded by the road called Penrhyn Avenue and Marine Drive/Sea shore. This early settlement took place during the reign of Maelgwyn Gwynedd who resided in Deganwy but may also have had a palace on Bryn Euryn. Maelgwyn, who died inAD547,does not enjoy a particularly pleasant reputation. He was said tohave been a drunkard and tormentor of Saints, but it must be remembered that all the early records were writtencbyChristian clerics who were not averse to doctoring their text to show themselves in the best lights and their adversaries asmost despicable creatures Whatever the truth, Trillo did enjoy the protection of Maelgwyn and tcgeflier with Saint Deniol, Bishop of Bangor, andSaint Crwst was among the signatories of a grant made by that ruler to Saint Kentigern, founder of the See of Saint Asaph. Making use of track way s and the remains of Roman roads in North Wales, our Saint appears to have penetrated inlandand founded another settlement a little to the north east of Lake Bala, between Corwen and Bala. Here is the other churchdedicated to St Trillo, “Llandrillo-yn-Edeirnion”. Nearby was a spring off fresh water, “Ftynnon Drillo”, reputed to havehealing properties for rheumatism. In l699 Edward Lhwyd, first curator of the Ashmolean Museum, set out to document details of all the parishes in thePrincipality of Wales. in his “Parochialia” he drew a rough sketch of Saint Trillo as depicted in the north window of thechurch in the parish of Llandderfel, about three miles from Llandrillo-yn-Edeirnion.All that remains today in Llmdrillo-yn-Edehniond and the chapel of Saint Triilo on the Shore in Rhos on Sea, aremore modern representations of the Saint in their stained glass windows. But, the Christian message is still proclaimed from the Chapel land Churches founded in the name of Saint Trillo, as it has been for some one thousand five hundred years..