THE Bishop of Wrexham, the Rt Rev Edwin Regan, was given a rare opportunity to hold a copy of Wales’ oldest printed book and the oldest religious text to be printed in Wales.
As the first book to have been printed on Welsh soil, Drych Cristianogawl (Christian Mirror) is one of the cornerstone treasures of The National Library of Wales.
The book was on display at the Blessed William Davies School, Llandudno, as William Davies was one of a group involved in printing the book.
He and eight others spent more than six months hiding in a cave on the slopes of the Little Orme producing the Catholic book in 1586-87, an act then punishable by death.
Prohibited by law, many Catholic religious texts were either published abroad or using secret printing presses.
The first part of Drych Cristianogawl was completed in February 1587 but local residents discovered the cave was harbouring Catholics. A siege was laid but somehow the entire group managed to escape. William Davies was executed later in his life.
Owen Llywelyn, senior education officer at The National Library of Wales, said: “We are privileged at The National Library to have an original copy of Drych Cristianogawl. It’s a rare book and a book that played such an important role in the history of printing in Wales and the story of the first book to be printed on Welsh soil.”
