Cynwyl Elfed is a village and community in the county of Carmarthenshire, Wales. The community includes the villages of Cynwyl Elfed, Blaenycoed and Cwmduad. It is situated about 5 miles (8.0 km) north of Carmarthen and had a population of 953 in 2001. It is also the origin of those of us who bear the name “Conwill” and is thus some place I’d very much like to visit one day.
The lower image is the Church of St. Cynwyl. St. Cynwyl was a warrior saint who fought for King Arthur at the fateful Battle of Camlann. He was a giant of a man and one of only seven to have survived the slaughter. He escaped on his horse named Hengroen. The beast is remembered in the name of the place, Dinhengroen, in Abergele.
Cynwyl founded churches at Cynwyl Gaeo (Ystrad Towi) , Cynwyl Elfed (Ystrad Towi), Aberporth (Ceredigion) and Penrhos (Llyn). He died on 8th January, possibly in the late 6th century. He is sometimes said to have been the son of King Dunaut Bwr of the Northern Pennines, although this appears to stem from a misreading of a line in the poem, 'Y Gododdin' by Iolo Morgannwg.