Villagers gathered on a cold Wednesday night in Llangattock to learn more about the life and legacy of St Catwg as part of the wider Celtic Roots Festival, which ran for the whole week.

The illustrated talk was delivered by Elizabeth Siberry, the local historian who authored the recent piece, ‘Great Houses of Crickhowell,’ who has now published a book about the saint the village takes its name from.

“I live in the village, and over the last few years we have been looking into the history of St Catwg’s church, which really is the heart of the village and indeed it is named after him,” she said.

“We have produced a new guidebook for the church and one about the memorials inside the church, which tell the story of the people who worked in the village.”

The Celtic Roots Festival was facilitated by the Friends of St Edmund's Church, Crickhowell and the Friends of St Catwg Church, Llangattock.

The events held throughout the week, which included a performance from a Celtic choir from Korea, was designed to compound the deep roots of Welsh history and culture in the area, as well as bringing internationally renowned performers to this corner of the country.

The Reverend Rana Khan is the leader of the Catwg ministry area and said opening up the Celtic christian community was important.

“We are having the Celtic Roots festival with lots of events for people of all ages. But the whole purpose is to rediscover the Celtic roots of our area,” he said.

“That is very much in the textiles of Welsh culture and christianity today. The name Llangattock simply translates to the community of St. Catwg, and there are many other places like this in Wales.”

“The Celtic way of life connects people with the place and peers they live with, which is why the festival and events like this are so important. There is more need for cohesion, a deeper understanding and connect with the nature around us now more than ever.”

“Connecting with the people and nature around us is all about finding hope. I think everyone will agree the world is in short supply of that sometimes.”

The church was packed out for the launch of the book about the life and times of St Catwg, with stories emerging of how the village near Crickhowell came to exist.

“We are delighted, it’s great to see a full church and to see the children coming in and colouring Celtic designs is fantastic,” Siberry continued.

“It is also lovely to see lots of people who don’t necessarily worship at St Catwg’s show an interest in the history of the church and the area they live in.”

“I think it is important for people to understand the history of the place they live in. It is something that was named in the Welsh Government’s wellbeing strategy and ties in with the sense of ‘Cynefin,’ the Welsh word for place.”

The book can be bought at St Catwg’s Church, in Llangattock.