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Hierarch6th century

Saint Ismael of Wales

6th century

Also known as Ismael · Ysfael · Isfael · Osmail

A 6th-century Welsh bishop, disciple of Sts. David and Teilo, consecrated bishop of Menevia (Rhos); son of Budic of Brittany.

June 16New Calendar
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Commemorated as

Our Father among the Saints Ismael, Bishop of Rhos

Life

Saint Ismael of Wales (Welsh: Isfael; Old Welsh: Ysmail; anglicized Ishmael or Ysfael) was a 6th-century Welsh bishop and saint, remembered as bishop of Rhos and a successor of Saint David at Menevia (St Davids). Despite the anglicized form's resemblance to the biblical figure, Isfael is a native Welsh name understood to mean 'under prince.'

He was the son of Budic (Budig ap Cybydan), a native of Cornouaille who became king of Armorica in Brittany, placing Ismael within a prominent Breto-Welsh dynasty with strong ecclesiastical ties. According to Rhygyfarch's hagiography of Saint David, Ismael was counted among the three principal disciples of Dewi Sant, and the Book of Llandaff also numbered him among the students of Dubricius and Teilo.

He is venerated as a pre-schism Celtic saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church and in the Anglican Communion, with his principal feast on June 16 (and a commemoration on June 25 at Uzmaston). Several Welsh parish churches bear his name, chiefly St Ishmael's in Pembrokeshire.

Timeline4 momentsReadHide
  1. c. 6th centuryBirth into a Breto-Welsh royal familyIsmael is born a son of Budic (Budig ap Cybydan), a native of Cornouaille and eventual king of Armorica in Brittany. His mother may have been Arianwedd (or Anowed), a sister of Saint Teilo.
  2. 6th centuryDisciple of David and TeiloHe is trained under the leading Welsh saints, counted by Rhygyfarch among the three principal disciples of Saint David and by the Book of Llandaff among the students of Dubricius and Teilo.
  3. 6th centuryEpiscopal ministry in RhosIsmael is remembered as a successor of David at Menevia, though likely serving as a suffragan bishop under Teilo, with his own see at Rhos (St Ishmaels, Pembrokeshire).
  4. June 16Principal feastHis feast is kept on June 16, with a further commemoration on June 25 at Uzmaston; he is venerated in both the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Anglican Communion.

Contributions & Legacy

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Discipleship and Episcopate

According to Rhygyfarch's hagiography of Saint David, Ismael was one of the three principal disciples of Dewi Sant. The Book of Llandaff additionally included him among the students of Dubricius and Teilo, tying his formation to the leading figures of the Welsh 'Age of the Saints.'

He is said to have succeeded David as bishop of Menevia (St Davids), though he does not appear in the parish records for that see. The scholar William Jenkins Rees suggested that Ismael was at most a suffragan (auxiliary) bishop under Teilo, and that his own see lay in Rhos, at present-day St Ishmaels in Pembrokeshire.

The See at Rhos

The parish church of St Ishmael's (Welsh: Llanisan-yn-Rhos), set in a valley near the Milford Haven Waterway in Pembrokeshire, honours the saint. During the Age of the Saints it may have served as the diocesan seat for the Rhos cantref.

Historical records indicate that Llanismael was reckoned one of the principal dioceses of Dyfed under medieval Welsh law, second only to Menevia (modern St Davids). After the Norman conquest the area was absorbed into the Lordship of Haverfordwest; the medieval church building, a Grade II listed structure, reflects the site's early ecclesiastical prominence.

Dedications and Legacy

Multiple Welsh parish churches bear Ismael's name, including St Ishmael's in both Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire, together with churches at Camrose, Rosemarket, Uzmaston, and Haroldston St Issells.

A valley or inlet in Carmarthen Bay was formerly known as 'St. Ismael's Scar.' He is venerated in the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Anglican Communion, with feast days on June 16 and June 25 (at Uzmaston).

Veneration in Orthodoxy

Ismael is received in the Eastern Orthodox Church as a pre-schism Western (Celtic) saint accepted by consensus rather than by a modern glorification decree; no hagiographic source records a formal Orthodox act of glorification for him.

He does not appear on the Eastern OCA synaxarial calendar for June 16, and neither OrthodoxWiki nor the Mystagogy resources carry an entry for him. The surviving grounding for his life rests on Welsh sources and the medieval hagiographic tradition.

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Synaxis of the Saints of Britain and Ireland
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Notes

6th c. Welsh bishop.

Sources: Wikipedia (Ysfael); Dictionary of Welsh Biography; celticsaints.org