During the Middle Ages in Gwent, as all over Britain, the wounds of Christ were a subject of intense devotion. By the time of the 6th Century and St David, when the Saint at Llandewi Brefi bravely refuted thhe heresies of Pelagius, reports tell us that he preached before five large candles, representative of all the wounds of Christ.

The Wesleyan hymn ;Lo he comes with Clouds Descending, mentions the scars which have captured the imagination of many Christians.

Every Eye shall now behold him

Robed in dreadful majesty

Thouse who set at naught and sold hi,

pierced and nailed him to a tree....

Those dear tokens of his Passion

Still his dazzling body bears

cause of endless exultation

To his ransomed worshippers

with what rapture

Gaze we on those glorious scars!!

I hope you find this beautiful devotion uplifting for the season of Lent. It loosely uses the prayers from the St Anthony Prayerbook, but I have adapted them slightly.

1066 and William the Conqueror has taken England and laid waste to Northumbria. He places powerful Lords on the border with Wales as he wants no trouble with them at the moment. These Lords are also a danger to him and fighting the Welsh will keep them busy. In Gwent the petty kings, Aeddan, Griffith, Meredith, all fight against each other and the Normans are able to take the area quite easily. They build castles at Monmouth, Abergavenny, Usk, Chepstow, Llangua,Goldcliff, Skenfrith and Grosmont and with them come the first wave of the building of Priories to administer these castle, providing for the spiritual needs of the Normans and their new people, and a Civil Service for the Norman Lords and Barons, writing their legal documents , collecting tithes etc, but also providing social services for the local people. Of course some were better than others. Chepstow (featuring on http://maryinmonmouth.blogspot.com this week ) or Striguil was one of the first Benedictine Priories in Gwent .

The Burning Babe  by St Robert Southwell

I have been taking the choir around to Newport and Cwmbran. you heart the Cwmbran podcast before and here you hear some of the sounds from Tredegar House in Newport Christmas Celebration, where the choir sang so beautifully in the Great Hall.

The new CD PAX HOMNINIBUS BONAE VOLUNTATIS-Peace on Earth Goodwill to men. The most beautiful carols of Europe ALL sung in Latin. You may think this is odd,yet Latin is easier than Czech or Polish and I discovered 'Infant Holy was Polish!' This is beautiful sung by Convivium Musicorum and their intstrumental Group. (Get from Amazon and type in Latin Hymns)

The Christmas Story and Welsh Christmas songs

Pope Leo's short Christmas Sermon of 440AD-even before Saint David!

I sing 'Our Father'

Excerpt from 'Carol Singing' from Laurie Lee-Cider with Rosie.(and not singing properly because I have a cold)

Cwmbran Salvation Army Band play Adeste Fideles(O Come all ye Faithful)

Merry Christmas Everyone

http://maryinmonmouth.blogspot.com

We near the end of the Millenium. The Gwent Kings fight amongst each other, and their main enemies are from North Wales, They spend so much time fighting they make alliances with the Saxons to attack other princes and then the Normans sneak in....and build castles everywhere.

A busy week getting prepared. A Mediaeval Englysshe Song from an Irish Latin One -Angelus ad Virginem.

O Nata Lux de Lumine by King's School Chamber Choir, Gloucester Cathedral under their Director Derek Harries. Recorded in the Choir Upper Room of Gloucester Cathedral last week.

Finally the 'O Antiphons' from a Carmelite MOnastery in America as we reach the final stages of waiting.....

A special present for Northumbria and East Anglia, the stories of three Saxons important in the Christian Story. Caedmon, the cattleherd who became an accomplished singer at Whitby Abbey by a miracle, King (now Saint) Oswald's heroic defence of the Christians in Northumbria and his battle with the pagan king Penda and the story of St Edmund of East Anglia, whose relics lay in the great Abbey of St Edmundsbury as he was martyred by the Vikings who attacked those lands in a cruel way.

I give you the Mediaeval minced pies recipes and also a treat from the Chapel Choir of the King's School, Gloucester Cathedral with a (secular)Victorian Christmas Medley called 'What shall we sing at Christmas?'conducted by the excellent Derek Harries. What a Choir! And my son is in it!

The Romans formed a big part of the Early History of Gwent, particularly Caerleon (Castra Legionis) the Rome of Britannia. By the second century King Lucius invites more missionaries-Doctor Medwy-turns up with three others, which Pope Eleutherius called for. (See blog post on Michaelstone y Fedw http://www.maryinmonmouth.blogspot.com

Caerleon has its own Church with a holy Bishop Amphilbus, all of whom are killed in a presecution. We are not sure of which but the Tredunnock tombstone of St Julius Julianus, though buried in the Roman way was to theEast. The National Museum of Wales have authenticated it to the 2nd-3rd century AD so earlier than Diocletian's persecution. Julius and Aaron were both citizens of Caerleon, the whole church was massacred, but they are Roman citizens were allowed to die with swords in their hand. We learn Julius died on the Banks of the Usk next to where the Mansion used to be, the Mansion which was built with stone from his chapel, but seemed to have become disused, possibly because of endless Danish attacks which occurred when the Romans had left. It is even possible he may have been reburied at Tredunnock. Aaron was buried just over the first bridge on the Llanhennock Road in an area still called St Aarons. We then make a jump to the death of Alban, also mistimed by Bede and finally to the attacks of the Danes occurring periodically to the end of the Milennium. We still have to deal with the Saxons in Gwent, which we shall do tomorrow!

Feedback about Xmas or Christmas. Mediaeval pre protestant minced pies! vetoed by Oliver Cromwell so make some tonight!!Feedback about Mary in Monmouth and plea to make it include more of Wales.

'Watching you' Fiction by Lynnette Rees,Wild Rose Press, The Book Depository (Amazon)

'My Heart is restless' Theresa Jane Mycock http://www.myheartisrestless.blogspot.com

We have come to the end of the first millenium and I have tried to sum up Welsh Spiritual Life and its Catholic base. Welsh meaning 'Romanised Celt' How they sanctified and built the llans with prayer and fasting for forty days and nights. Silurean  Characteristics and customs still in force today .Laws of Community and hospitality. How it was a culture built on trust.The evidence for Joseph of Arimathea as a tin merchant arriving in Caerleon with the Emperor Vespasian trading for tin. Archiviragus giving him and his family land at Glastonbury (Ynys Witrin) and Garthmadrun (modern Talgarth) Holiest family in Wales and it marries into the local royal family (of Irish descent) to provide a whole Age of Welsh Saints.

The Skirryd or Holy Mountain (St Michael's Mount)Normans built a chapel there.Teilos area of North Gwent (later Bishop of Llandaff) St David's Hermit's cell-area of his 'Green Martyrdom' to be at Llan Thony.

Many of these ancient sites not sporting splendid Norman and Gothic Churches still exist, and you can see curved churchyards. Much detail is available on http://www.maryinmonmouth.blogspot.com.

Here we have some of the most wonderful treasures of our Mediaeval Abbey, which perhaps is forutnate it did not suffer the fate of so many abbeys of the time,becoming as it did one of the Kind's Schools, possibly because of its many royal links and the burial of many royal personages and predecessors of the Tudor monarchy. Harry Potter has been filmed here and do his this winters 'Dr Who'Special. The Victorian St Peter's Catholic church will also be visited when I come up to that period, but at present I am working up to the end of the first milennium!

I visit the many tombs and chantries of this wonderful place, which is meticulously conserved and loved by all Gloucester people and many town events still happen here.

The Kings Chamber Choir which sang Occuli Omnium is not the cathedral choir (though several of the tenors and basses are former members!)and the higher parts sung by girl choristers from the school.

I do promise a return visit for some carols.

The recording production is not wonderful for this, because I am still learning to use this equipment and print Gurney's poem which was read near the end.The poem likens the glory of Creation to Music in the Cathedral.

The Valley by Ivor Gurney

There was such beauty in the dappled valley
As hurt the sight, the heart stabbed to tears.
The gathered beautifulness of all the years
Hovered thereover, it seemed, eternally
Set for men's joy. Town, tower, trees, river
Under a sky royal-azure Heaven for ever
Up-piled with towering mountains of March cloud.

A Herald-day of Spring more wonderful
Than Her true own. Trumpets cried aloud
In sky, earth, blood. No beast, no clod so dull
But the strength felt of the day, Power of the Giver
Was glad for being, lowly at once, and proud.
Kyrie Eleison, and Gloria,
Credo, Jubilate, Magnificat:
The whole world gathered strength to praise the day

Benedictine Vespers for the Nativity of Our Lady of Tintern, at Tintern Abbey on Sunday  7th September 2008. Abbot Aidan Bellenger gave a wonderful, heavenly homily, Singers were Sr Emma Joy SSC and Susan Williams. Final Prayers by Archbitshop Peter. Sorry I messed up the Lords Prayer in a different setting ! Hope you enjoy this. I have also inserted one or two bits of plainchant to fill in gaps there and there.

Psalm 84

Oculos tuos sing at Gloucester Cathedral by the Chamber Choir of the Kings School at Gloucester cathedral, conducted by David Harries. A wonderful accoustic and choir-and how Tintern would have sounded/

The Project at our Lady of Tintern and how you can participate.

Rosary 3pm At Statue of Our Lady of Tintern on 21 September.