Bardsey, the Island of 20,000 Saints
Off the tip of a Welsh peninsula lies a small island where 20,000 saints are said to be buried. Legend also says Merlin sleeps there, in a house of glass.
What was reported
Bardsey Island, Ynys Enlli in Welsh, lies across a dangerous strait off the Llŷn Peninsula. A monastery was founded there in the 6th century, and it became so holy that three pilgrimages to Bardsey were said to equal one to Rome.
Tradition says 20,000 saints are buried in its soil. Another legend says the wizard Merlin lies asleep on the island, in a glass house, with the treasures of Britain.
Explanations offered
The large numbers of medieval burials found on the island help explain the saints legend. Today it's a nature reserve with a handful of residents, a lighthouse and seabirds, and the pilgrimage path along the peninsula is walked again.
- When
- A pilgrimage since the Middle Ages
- Where
- Bardsey Island, Gwynedd, Wales
- Witnesses
- Medieval pilgrims and Welsh legend
- Status
- Legend
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.
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