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The parish church of St. Stephen at Caerwent was originally dedicated to St. Tathyw, its founder, who was later confused with St. Tathan and then St. Stephen. Both have feast days on 26th December.

When St. Tathyw arrived in the Kingdom of Gwent in the later 5th century, King Caradog had his palace at the old Roman town of Caerwent, but he gave the whole place up to Tathyw for the foundation of a monastery. Tathyw built this in the ruins south of the old Roman basilica which may have formed Caradog's palace. He could have adapted an old Pagan temple. Although all trace of Tathyw's first church is now hidden beneath the present building, there was certainly a large Christian cemetery surrounding it from, at least, the 5th century. This was discovered through excavation in 1910.