c. 500–570
Saint Gildas the Wise
A British monk and writer known for his learning and his work condemning the impiety of his age.
Biography
Gildas was born around 500 in Wales and studied under Saint Illtud. He married, and after his wife's death he became a monk; his great learning earned him the name 'the Wise'.
He wrote a work sharply criticising the rulers, clergy and people of his time for their impiety and lawlessness. He spent his last years in Brittany, where he died around 570.