Congar of Congresbury

Saint Congar (also Cumgar or Cungar; Welsh: Cyngar; Latin: Concarius) (c. 470–27 November 520), was a Welsh abbot and supposed bishop in Somerset, now in England.

He grew up in Pembrokeshire and travelled across the Bristol Channel to found a monastery on Cadbury Hill at Congresbury in Somerset. He gave his name to this village and to the parish church at Badgworth. This supposedly became the centre of a bishopric which preceded the Diocese of Bath and Wells. Legend has it that his staff took root when he thrust it into the ground and the resulting yew tree can be seen to this day. He later returned to Wales, but died on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem.

The parish of Congresbury claimed to have enshrined his body during the Middle Ages, and mentioned it in several pilgrim guides. There appear to have been no rival claimants for his relics. Congresbury itself is first mentioned in Asser's Life of Alfred as a derelict Celtic monastery, probably related to Congar. Though a minor saint, he is mentioned in a litany of Winchester in about 1060, and his feast day was recorded in most medieval Somerset calendars.

Congresbury

Coordinates: 51°22′04″N 2°48′39″W / 51.3677°N 2.8109°W / 51.3677; -2.8109

Congresbury is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England. It is situated in the Unitary authority of North Somerset, and in 2011 had a population of 3,497. It lies on the A370, roughly equidistant between Junction 21 of the M5 and Bristol Airport, approximately 13 miles (21 km) south of Bristol city centre, and 7 miles (11 km) east of Weston-super-Mare. The Congresbury Yeo river flows through the village. The parish which has a population of 3,400 includes the hamlet of Brinsea.

The nearest operating railway station is Yatton railway station with trains provided by First Great Western, although Congresbury once had its own railway station on the Cheddar Valley Line from Yatton to Wells. It was also the starting point for the Wrington Vale Light Railway which went to nearby Wrington and then on to Blagdon.

History

Congresbury is named after St Congar, who is said to have performed three miracles in the area. The second part of the name is thought to come from burh meaning fortified place.