“I wrote the book as Llanilltud is unique in the fact that there is no other modern study of this particular monastic school and community. This is a semi-academic study, which offers far more detail than is available in local guidebooks and which counters some of the misinformation about St Illtud that is derived from later sources. I hope it will fill a gap in our understanding of the development of Christianity in south Wales and indeed in the wider ‘Celtic’ countries. I feel that it is timely, especially with the rebuilding of the Galilee Chapel at Llanilltud and the housing of the Celtic Christian stones there,” said Philip Morris.
The Llanilltud collection of Celtic Christian stones, housed in the Galilee Chapel, includes the Houelt Cross, the Samson or Illtud Cross and the Samson Pillar, all dating from the 9th to 11th century. The Houelt Cross will be very familiar to anyone who has travelled via Cardiff airport, as the intricate Celtic design inscribed on the cross is used in the airport logo. |