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Icon of St. Kenneth of Wales
Feast: Aug. 1
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 ascetic, 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.
Next Icon: by the hand of Nicholas Papas. It is from St. George
Antiochian Orthodox Church, Oakland, PA. (All information from website
"Come And See Icons")
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