Beuno
Welsh abbot and saint
About Beuno
Lived 570 – 640 (aged 69–70). Beuno was a Welsh.
Saint Beuno (; 640), sometimes anglicized as Bono, was a 7th-century Welsh abbot, confessor, and saint. Baring-Gould gives St Beuno's date of death as 21 April 640, he is commemorated on 20 April, the 21st being designated for Saint Anselm.
Name His name has been reconstructed as *Bounou in Old Welsh, with a proposed derivation from the common Celtic *Bou-gnāw-, with a meaning related to "Knowing Cattle".
Life Beuno was said to have been born at Berriew in Powys and to have been the grandson of a prince of the local dynasty, which descended from Vortigern, king of Britain. After education and ordination in the monastery at Bangor in northern Wales, he became an active missionary with the support of Cadfan, king of Gwynedd. Cadfan's son and successor Cadwallon deceived Beuno about some land and, when the saint demanded justice, proved unsympathetic. Thereupon, Cadwallon's cousin Gwyddaint "gave to God and Beuno forever" his land at Clynnog Fawr on the Llŷn peninsula. Beuno established his own monastery at the site and died there peacefully "on the seventh day of Easter".
Miracles
Beuno was credited with raising seven people from the dead, including his niece, the virgin Winefride (Gwenffrewi), and his disciple and cousin, Aelhaiarn. He was said to have had a "wondrous vision" prior to his death.
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Important facts
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Beuno's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Beuno?
Welsh abbot and saint
When was Beuno born?
Beuno was born in 570 in Kingdom of Powys.
When did Beuno die?
Beuno died on 21 April 640 in Clynnog Fawr.
What nationality was Beuno?
Beuno was Welsh.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Beuno. https://biography.guide/beuno/
MLA: "Beuno." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/beuno/.
Chicago: "Beuno." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/beuno/.
Data last updated: 2026-09-23 · Spot an error? Report a correction.
Portrait: Wikimedia Commons · author & licence
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