  llandeilo is a town in carmarthenshire, wales, situated at the crossing of the river towy by the a483 on a 19th-century stone bridge. its population is 1,731. it is adjacent to the westernmost point of the brecon beacons national park. the town is served by llandeilo railway station on the heart of wales line. == early history == llandeilo is named after one of the better-known celtic saints of the 6th century, saint teilo. the welsh word llan signified a monastery or a church. saint teilo, who was a contemporary of saint david the patron saint of wales, established a small monastic settlement (clas) on the site of the present-day parish church. although there is very little factual detail about the life of saint teilo, the way in which he was highly respected in his lifetime, and revered after his death, is shown by the forty-five places dedicated to him, some as far afield as brittany. thumb|left|400px|dinefwr castle after saint teilo's death, two equally important ecclesiastical centres in wales, namely llandaff and st david's, laid claim to his body. there is reasonable evidence to suggest, however, that saint teilo was buried in llandeilo, where "he spent a solitary life gloriously". the parish church of llandeilo fawr (great llandeilo) is dedicated to saint teilo, and until 1880 its churchyard encompassed his baptistry. the early christian settlement that developed around the church of saint teilo prospered, and by the early 9th century it had attained considerable ecclesiastical status as the seat of a bishop-abbot. the church of st. teilo soon became a 'mother church' to the surrounding district, acquiring an extensive estate, and possessing one of the principality's most beautiful and finely illustrated manuscripts - the gospel book of saint teilo. the discovery of fragments of two large celtic crosses from this period provide further testimony to llandeilo's importance and indeed prestige as an early ecclesiastical centre. towards the end of the ninth century, the importance of llandeilo as a spiritual centre had started to decline and the gospel book of st. teilo was remove
Communities_of_Carmarthenshire Post_towns_in_the_SA_postcode_area Swansea_Bay_(region) Towns_in_Carmarthenshire