Roman Bremia near Llandewi Brefi. The Roman fort of Bremia was built as a station along this route. In the
British Iron Age, the area formed part of the tribal lands of the
Demetae or possibly the
Ordovices.
Romans activity in the area is evidenced by the construction of a square auxiliary fort around AD 73 -77, close to a crossing point of the river for which it was named. The fort was a station on a
Roman road known in later Welsh tradition as the
Sarn Helen, leading north from
Luentinum, the fort at
Dolaucothi. The Romans occupied the fort with around 500 soldiers until withdrawing around fifty years later. Despite this short occupation a settlement of around a thousand civilians is thought to have developed, as evidenced by the extensive archeological evidence and the presence of a
Thermae (Roman bathhouse). Two of five inscribed stones found in the area indicate that the fort's garrison included soldiers from the
Cohors II Astrium, a military unit from
Asturias, Spain. Around AD 424, the area was conquered by
Ceredig (traditionally said to be the Great-Grandfather of Saint David), and became part of the new
Kingdom of Ceredigion.
Synod of Brefi In the early sixth century, the village was the location for a convocation of leading figures in the
Celtic Church to discuss the church's response to the
Pelagian heresy.
Medieval Welsh writing would record this synod, as a central event in the lives of many
Welsh saints, including
Saint Paulinus,
Saint Deiniol,
Saint Cybi,
Saint Dubricius, and Saint David. A number of miracles and notable occurrences are attributed to this synod, most notably the ground underneath the young Saint David miraculously raised up under his feet, so that he may be better heard among the church elders and address the large crowd gathered there. This event is said to have taken place on the small hill where St. Davids church now stands. This miracle and David's speech was said to have had impressed the senior bishop, Saint Dubricius so much that he gifted David the ancient
Metropolitan See of Caerleon (which David subsequently moved to
St Davids), and retired to
Bardsey Island.
Later medieval period In the eleventh and twelfth centuries the area was the scene of much fighting both against the
invading Normans and between the established
Kingdom of Powys and
Deheubarth. In 1073, a particularly bloody battle was fought at Llanddewi Brefi in which the Powysian forces (led by the sons of
Cadwgan ap Bleddyn, Gronw and Llewelyn) were victorious against
Rhŷs ap Owain of Deheubarth (who they believed had murdered their grandfather,
Bleddyn ap Cynfyn). The Norman
Bishop of St Davids also established an ecclesiastical college in the village in honour of their patron saint. ==St David's Church==