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Did you know that the patron saint of rabbits and hares is St Melangell? The story of St Melangell might resemble a fairy tale, but is in fact true. • In the early 7th Century, Melangell, the daughter of an Irish king, fled to a beautiful spot at the head of the Tanat Valley in Wales, where she lived a peaceful solitary life until the Prince of Powys went hunting, and a frightened hare took refuge under Melangell’s cloak. The Prince’s dogs were subdued and, deeply impressed, he gave her the valley to create a sanctuary. Ever since, Pennant Melangell has been a place of pilgrimage, and Melangell remains the patron saint of hares, rabbits, small animals, and the natural environment.