St Gwynhoydl's Church is located just north-west of the village of Llangwnnadl, Gwynedd, Wales. The church is dedicated to Gwynhoydl, a 6th-century Welsh saint. The church dates to the 14th or 15th centuries, and was greatly extended in the 16th. It is a Grade I listed building.
Background
The village of Llangwnnadl stands 45 km (28 mi) south-east of Caernarfon on the northern coast of the Llŷn Peninsula. The church stands just north of the village and is dedicated to Gwynhoydl, a 6th-century Welsh saint.[1] Also spelt Gwynhoedl, he was held to be a son of the legendary figure Seithennin in the genealogical tract Bonedd y Saint,[2] and his feast day is said to have been on 1 January.[3] The church dates from the 14th or 15th centuries,[4] with the additional of the two aisles dating from 1520 to 1530.[5] The church was on the pilgrimage route to St Mary's Abbey on Bardsey Island.[1][6] It was restored in 1850 by Henry Kennedy, architect to the Diocese of Bangor.[4]
The church remains an active parish church in the Diocese of Bangor and occasional services are held.[7]
Architecture and description
Richard Haslam, Julian Orbach and Adam Voelcker, in their Gwynedd volume of the Buildings of Wales series, record the church's "extraordinary plan – three naves of equal length, the overall width greater than the length".[1] Such a design is rare. The central nave and chancel are combined with a bellcote above.[6] The building material is local rubble, and slate for the roof.[5] Arcades in the interior carry two inscribed panels, one of the Latin inscriptions recording the burial of Saint Gwynhoydl at the site.[1] The church is a Grade I listed building.[4]
Gallery
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Interior -
Inscription in Latin recording the burial of Saint Gwynhoydl at the site -
The entrance front
References
- ^ a b c d Haslam, Orbach & Voelcker 2009, pp. 443–444.
- ^ Bartrum 1993, p. 668.
- ^ Bartrum 1993, p. 403.
- ^ a b c Cadw. "Church of St Gwynhoydl (Grade I) (4378)". National Historic Assets of Wales. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
- ^ a b "St Gwynhoydl's Church, Llangwnadl (43745)". Coflein. RCAHMW. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
- ^ a b "Church Heritage Record 3320: St Gwynhoedl, Llangwnadl". Church in Wales. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
- ^ "St Gwynhoedl, Llangwnadl". Church in Wales. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
Sources
- Bartrum, P. C. (1993). A Welsh Classical Dictionary: People in History and Legend up to about A.D. 1000. Aberystwyth: National Library of Wales.
- Haslam, Richard; Orbach, Julian; Voelcker, Adam (2009). Gwynedd. The Buildings of Wales. New Haven and London: Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-14169-6. OCLC 1023292902.