6th cent. A hermit who lived halfway down a cliff at St Govan's Head in
Dyfed in Wales where his stone hut can still be seen. He is probably buried
under the altar in the hut, which later became a small chapel. Govan was
probably a disciple of St Ailbe.
A Pilgrimage to Saint Govan's Chapel
http://www.orthodoxchurch.co.uk/occwv.htm
St Govan's Head - St Govan's Chapel
http://www.britainexpress.com/wales/az/churches/churches14.htm
On St Govan's Head, near Bosherton. St. Govan's Chapel is a small medieval
church clinging to the ragged rock halfway down the cliffs of a secluded
headland. It is difficult to imagine a more strikingly situated church in
all of Britain. St. Govan was a sixth century hermit who established a cell
for himself on this lonely spot, in the fashion of early Celtic Christian
monks, who tended to live in isolated places. Legends sprang up about the
saint, and about the curative properties of the natural spring which used to
rise just inside the door of the chapel.
During the medieval period the holy well and cell became a place of
pilgrimage for cripples seeking a cure, and the original cell was rebuilt as
a small chapel in the 13th century. The chapel is a very simple rectangular
building with a steeply pitched roof and bellcote. Access is by way of 52
stone steps from the top of the cliffs.
Legend has it that the chapel was founded when St. Govan hid in a rocky
fissure of the cliff to escape from pirates. A further legend states that
King Arthur's knight Sir Gawain lies buried beneath the stone altar of the
chapel.
St. Govan's Chapel is contained within the Pembrokeshire National Park, and
the Pembrokeshire Coast National Trail runs along the nearby cliffs. The
area is far enough off the beaten track that even today it retains an air of
secluded beauty.