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Elfan
2nd century Welsh saint
SaintFull write-upWalesDate unknown
Born
—
unknown
Died
—
unknown
Beatified
—
not on record
Canonised
—
not on record
Who they were
Elfan appears in the Welsh version of the legend of King Lucius (Lleufer Mawr), who is said to have sent Elfan and Medwy to Pope St Eleutherius.
According to that legend the pope baptised them, made Elfan a bishop and sent them home with two missionaries. Butler treats the Lucius story as legend.
The miracles
There was never a formal cause: he has been honoured as a saint since before the Church's formal processes began.
Why that counted as sanctity
Named in the Welsh legend of King Lucius as an early British bishop.
Sources
- Butler's Lives of the Saints, ed. Thurston and Attwater (1956), vol. IV - 3 December
- Wikidata Q23907663 — dates, feast day and identifiers (CC0)
Checked against the sources listed on 22 September 2026. Corrections welcome.