Evan Roberts was the charismatic leader of the Welsh Religious Revival of 1904 - 05, a 'spiritual awakening' which saw more than 100,000 people in Wales pledge their faith in Jesus Christ. The 27-year-old became a huge celebrity, and the year-long religious upsurge he inspired is now seen as the instigator of the world-wide Pentecostal movement.
In an article on BBC News Online, his origins and impact on Welsh life and the wider world came under the spotlight:
For many, the Welsh-speaking coal-miner's son from Loughor was the answer to their prayers - a working-class preacher who had emerged from the tough, often dangerous industries of pre-World War One Wales.
Despite working in the mines from the age of 12, and then re-training as a blacksmith, the devout Christian decided he had to preach the word of God. He began training to become a minister, but one night, after he had been praying about the "failure" of mainstream Christianity, his life was transformed when God came to him in his dreams.
He later said: "I found myself with unspeakable joy and awe in the very presence of the almighty God.... I was privileged to speak face-to-face with him as man speaks face-to-face with a friend."
Roberts stormed on to the scene as a preacher in the still low-key religious upsurge then taking place in south and west Wales in the spring of 1904.His fame became such that even a rumour that he was to be at a particular church or chapel would see hundreds of people turn up.
Yet his addresses ran contrary to the loud, aggressive sermons of more fire-and-brimstone preachers, as well as the more formal highly-structured delivery of Welsh-language sermonising. He was quiet, often reflective, and invited the audience to participate, to share their experience of the Holy Spirit.
His style worked. Churches quickly reported an 80,0000 rise in congregations, and thousands more followed as people across the UK and Europe flocked to hear him. Newspaper readers became avid consumers of stories about him and his friends, and editors soon realised they could boost their sales by carrying daily reports on his exploits.
And the social effects of the religious fervour made itself felt, often in mysterious ways.
Drunkenness - and beer sales - fell as thousands took the pledge, while the crime rate dipped as people strove to lead a more honest life and repay their debts.
Employers said the quality of men's work went up and even the miners' pit ponies, which dragged coal-laden wagons to the surface, were confused when their usually foul-mouthed handlers stopped using obscene language.
Even the man who was to become arguably the Tony Blair of his day, the Caernarfon MP and future prime minister, Lloyd George, singled him out for praise and the odd photo opportunity. Young people were particularly attracted to Roberts' preaching style and soon he also had a band of young women devotees, whom newspapers said had fallen under the spell of the "Welsh Wesley".
Roberts style of preaching was to become a blueprint for the Pentecostal movement, which today numbers an estimated 115 million people worldwide.
Yet after little more a year in the public eye, he retired, exhausted. The religious revival descended into chaos and acrimony, but by then had laid the foundations stones for a similar upsurge in America a few years later.
He recuperated in England, where he lived for several years before returning to Wales to live quietly in Cardiff, writing poetry in English and Welsh, until his death in 1951. The 72-year-old had never married.
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