Llanddewi Brefi

The core of Llanddewi Brefi with the parish church in the background and a pub in the foreground

The parish church of Dewi Sant

Llanddewi Brefi [ɬanˈðɛwi ˈbrɛvi] is a village of about 500 people in the county of Ceredigion , Wales .

In the 6th century, David of Menevia (in Welsh , Dewi Sant ), the patron saint of Wales, held the Synod of Brefi here, from which the name is derived. Llanddewi Brefi means "Church of David on the [river] Brefi". The part of the name "Llan" refers to a Welsh place with a church or a holy place. Brefi is a tributary of the Teifi .

Llanddewi Brefi is one of the largest parishes in Wales. The parish church is dedicated to St. David and contains a modern statue of him. The church dates from the 12th century. The square has been used for church services since the 7th century and fragments of much older buildings are incorporated into the Norman church. The church contains a collection of Celtic crosses . The little hill on which the church stands is said to be the hill which is said to have mysteriously risen under St. David so that the people around could understand it better.

In addition to the Anglican parish church, there is a non-conformist chapel.

Welsh is the predominant language spoken in the area. The local economy is characterized by sheep farming and dairy farming . There are two pubs and a village shop with a post office in the village.

In 1977 the village, the Tregaron market and the distant village of Carno were the scenes of the largest raid against the drug LSD to date . On March 26, Operation Julie confiscated over 6 million tablets and arrested 120 people in the UK and France.

In the comedy series Little Britain , the character Daffyd Thomas (the original Welsh would be Dafydd ), the “only gay in the village”, lives in a fictional mining town called Llan d ewi Bre ff i. This made the previously unknown place famous. Many fans are now taking pictures in front of the place-name signs. The tablets have already been stolen several times, or at least an attempt has been made. A plaque signed by the actors was auctioned off to help the victims of the December 26, 2004 tsunami .

Due to the connection with St. David, the existing town center, but also due to the tourism opportunities after the Little Britain series , consideration is being given to deciding to protect the site in order to preserve the character.