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A few individual saints, like Francis of Assisi and Ignatius of Loyola, led colorful and even sinful lives before turning their hearts to God. But only one married saint couple is as well known for their violent past as for their eventual sanctity.
They are the sixth-century Welsh saints Gwladys, or Gladys, and her husband, Gwynllyw Farfog (the Bearded), occasionally known as Woolos the Warrior. They started out living a life of plundering and pillaging, but ended up sharing a life of prayer and sacrifice. Along the way, their story wanders into the realm of romance novels and Arthurian legend before finally taking an unexpected turn to Christianity through the influence of one of the great saints of Wales—who just happens to be their son.
Not the Greatest Start. According to the Life of St. Cadoc (a.d. 1100), Gladys was the eldest daughter of King Brychan of Wales. A stunningly beautiful young lady, she caught the attention of one of her father’s rivals, the robber chieftain Woolos. When her father refused to give his privileged daughter in marriage to a rough…
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