Church of the Holy Cross, Kilgwrrwg facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Church of the Holy Cross, Kilgwrrwg |
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| Church of the Holy Cross | |
"a medieval church from a now deserted village"
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 Church of the Holy Cross, Kilgwrrwg
Location in Monmouthshire
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| 51°40′56″N 2°46′45″W / 51.6822°N 2.7793°W | |
| Location | Kilgwrrwg, Monmouthshire |
| Country | Wales |
| Denomination | Church in Wales |
| Website | Holy Cross, Kilgwrrwg |
| History | |
| Status | Parish church |
| Founded | C13th century |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Heritage designation | Grade II* |
| Designated | 19 August 1955 |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Style | Early English/Decorated |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Kilgwrrwg |
| Deanery | Netherwent |
| Archdeaconry | Monmouth |
| Diocese | Monmouth |
The Church of the Holy Cross in Kilgwrrwg, Monmouthshire, Wales, is an old church from the Middle Ages. It used to serve a village that is now abandoned. This church is a very special historical building, known as a Grade II* listed building. It is still used for church services today and is part of a group of churches called the Severn Wye Ministry Area.
History of the Church
A writer named Clive Aslet says this church is "the most remote" in Wales. He shares a story that the church was built where two cows, pulling a plow, stopped to rest. The churchyard is round, which makes some people think it might have been a special place even before Christianity, possibly for the ancient Celts. The church you see today was built a long time ago, probably in the 1200s (13th century).
Some parts of the church were added or changed later, in the 1500s, 1600s, and 1800s. By the early 1800s, the church was in very bad shape, almost like a broken-down sheep pen. A local school teacher, James Davies, paid for most of the repairs in 1820. More big repairs were done by John Prichard in 1871. The church was also repaired again between 1977 and 1979, or possibly between 1989 and 1990. When it was rebuilt in the 1900s, it was named Holy Cross. Before that, its original name was not recorded.
Church Design and Features
The Church of the Holy Cross is built from a type of stone called Old Red Sandstone. Its style mixes two types of Gothic architecture: Early English and Decorated. The church has a chancel (the area around the altar), a nave (the main part where people sit), a porch, and a small tower for a bell, called a bellcote.
Inside, the church is quite simple. The chancel has a plain wooden roof structure instead of a fancy arch. The church is a Grade II* listed building because it is an "attractive and little altered medieval church from a now deserted village." This means it's a beautiful old church that hasn't changed much, even though the village it served is gone.
The churchyard has an old cross. This cross is also a special historical item, listed as a Grade II structure and a Scheduled monument. It is the only complete churchyard cross left in Monmouthshire. The church also has one bell, made by the William Evans Foundry in Chepstow.
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