Campaign to honour lost saint

Saint John Roberts was martyred in 1610

A campaign has been launched in Snowdonia to commemorate the life of Saint John Roberts, a priest from Trawsfynydd killed as a Catholic dissenter in 1610.

After nearly four hundred years, efforts are being made to celebrate his life in the village where he was born.

John Roberts was hanged, drawn and quartered in 1610 and canonised in 1970 - but efforts are now being made to celebrate his life.

History shows the dissenting priest was born in the Snowdonia village of Trawsfynydd in 1577 and was educated at Oxford.

The saint is remembered in this church

Raised as a Protestant, he converted to Catholicism while living in France.

He became the first monk to return to England following the dissolution of the monasteries.

But his dedication to his faith led to his martyrdom.

He stopped to help English victims of the plague and was captured.

Despite being canonised in 1970, many in his home village knew little of him.

But local councillor Isgoed Williams said many thousands of people had turned out for the ceremony to mark the canonisation and he was sure support for the statue project would be strong.

The only place which commemorates Saint John Roberts' life at the moment is the Holy Cross Church at Gellilydan near his home of Trawsfynydd.

Pictures show him steeling himself for martyrdom at the hands of the Protestant regime and a relic of his finger is kept at the church.

It will cost £40,000 to pay for a bronze statue of the saint - and the statue will form a key part of a new heritage centre in Trawsfynydd.

It will also stand not too far away from a statue of Trawsfynydd's other famous son, the World War I poet Hedd Wyn.