Orthodox Icon of Saint Kenneth of Wales

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August 1st
Troparion (Tone 2)
Rejecting thy princely dignity and worldly position, thou didst retire to the desert, O righteous Kenneth, and as we rejoice in thy God-pleasing asceticism, beseech Christ our God that He will save our souls.

St. Kenneth was born in the 6th century. There are differing accounts of his birth. One legend says that he was born of an incestuous relationship in King Arthur's Court. He is said to have been born with a deformed leg because of this. Then he was disposed of in a floating basket, which the seagulls guided onto the Gower Peninsula. The other legend says that he was the son of St. Gildas the Wise. St. Gildas was married and his wife birthed Kenneth, then died not long after. By either account, Kenneth was raised in a very aescetic, Christian setting. He went on to establish a monastery and church in Gower, known as Llangenydd which is Welsh for "St. Kenneth". He later went to Ploumelin in Brittany, where he continued to minister and where he reposed. However, his body was taken back to Gower and buried in the church there. In Welsh, his name is spelled as Kyned, Kened, Keneth or Cenydd.

This is by the hand of Nicholas Papas. It is from St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church, Oakland, PA.

Order #sgp-06

Check out other saints of the British Isles.