At A Glance
- Coordinates
- 52.7633, -4.7862
Overview
Bardsey Island is a island of sacred significance. Approximate coordinates: 52.76331, -4.78618. Attributes: built, natural, cultural, archaeological, pilgrimage. Tradition: Christianity. Associated figure: Saint Cadfan. Mythological context: Welsh. Bardsey Island (Welsh: Ynys Enlli), known as the legendary Island of 20,000 Saints , is located 1.9 miles (3.1 km) off the Llŷn Peninsula in the Welsh county of Gwynedd. The Welsh name means The Island in the Currents , while its English name refers to the Island of the Bards , or possibly the Viking chieftain, Barda . At 179 hectares (440 acres; 0.69 sq mi) in area it is the fourth largest offshore island in Wales, with a population of 11. The north east rises steeply from the sea to a height of 548 feet (167 m) at Mynydd Enlli, which is a Marilyn, while the western plain is low and relatively flat cultivated farmland. To the south the island narrows to an isthmus, connecting a peninsula on which the lighthouse stands. Since 1974 it has been included in the community of Aberdaron. The island has been an important religious site since the 6th century, when it is said that the Welsh king Einion Frenin and Saint Cadfan founded a monastery there. In medieval times it was a major centre of pilgrimage and, by 1212, belonged to the Augustinian Canons Regular. The monastery was dissolved and its buildings demolished by Henry VIII in 1537, but the island remains an attraction for pilgrims, marking the end point of the North Wales Pilgrims Way. Bardsey Island is famous for its wildlife and rugged scenery. A bird observatory was established in 1953. It is a nesting place for Manx shearwaters and choughs, with rare plants, and habitats undisturbed by modern farming practices. The waters around the island attract dolphins and porpoises and grey seals. In 2023, the island became the first site in Europe to be awarded International Dark Sky Sanctuary certification. Located in Cymru / Wales, United Kingdom.
Sacred Cluster
Nearby sacred places create the location cluster described in the growth plan. This block is intentionally crawlable and links into the wider regional graph.
St. Mary’s Abbey, Bardsey Island
Gwynedd, Wales, United Kingdom
0.1 km away
St. Beuno’s Church and Well, Clynnog Fawr, Wales
Clynnog Fawr, Gwynedd, United Kingdom
35.5 km away
Clynnog Fawr Dolmen
Clynnog Fawr, Gwynedd, United Kingdom
35.5 km away
St. Beuno shrine and well, Clynnog Fawr, Wales
Clynnog Fawr, Gwynedd, United Kingdom
35.5 km away