Old Church of St Nidan, Llanidan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Old Church of St Nidan, Llanidan |
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The surviving western section of St Nidan's and the central arcade
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 Old Church of St Nidan, Llanidan
Location in Anglesey
Old Church of St Nidan, Llanidan
Location in Wales
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| 53°10′40″N 4°15′13″W / 53.17778°N 4.25361°W | |
| OS grid reference | SH 494 669 |
| Location | Llanidan, Anglesey |
| Country | Wales |
| Denomination | Church in Wales |
| History | |
| Status | Church |
| Founded | 616 |
| Founder(s) | St Nidan |
| Dedication | St Nidan |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Closed and partly demolished in the 19th century; occasionally open to the public |
| Heritage designation | Grade II* |
| Designated | 30 January 1968 |
| Style | Medieval |
| Specifications | |
| Length | 78 ft (24 m) (pre-demolition) |
| Width | 38 ft (12 m) |
| Materials | Rubble masonry dressed with sandstone |
The Old Church of St Nidan, Llanidan is a very old church in Anglesey, North Wales. It is close to the Menai Strait. The first church here was built in the 7th century by St Nidan. He was a religious leader from a monastery at Penmon, Anglesey.
The oldest parts of the church you see today are from the 14th century. Around 1500, the church got bigger. A second main part, called a nave, was added on the north side. It was separated from the old nave by a row of six arches.
Between 1839 and 1843, a new church was built nearby. This happened because the old church needed a lot of repairs. After the new church opened, much of the old building was taken down. Only part of the western end and the central arches were left.
People at the time were sad about this. A clergyman named Harry Longueville Jones called it a "melancholy fate." He said it was "one of the largest and most important" churches in Anglesey.
After the new church opened, the old one was used for funerals for a while. Today, the people who own the nearby house, Plas Llanidan, have fixed up the church. Sometimes, it is open for visitors to see. The parts of the church that are left are a Grade II* listed building. This means it is a very important building with special history.
In the 12th century, a writer named Gerald of Wales told a strange story. He said the church had a stone carving that looked like a thigh bone. No matter how far away it was taken, it would always return by the next day. A Norman earl once chained it to a big rock and threw it into the sea. But the stone was back at the church the next morning!
A stone box with bone pieces was found under the altar. These might be the bones of a saint. This box and the church's old font (a basin for baptisms) were moved to the new church.
Contents
History of the Church
How the Church Started
St Nidan's Church is in the south of Anglesey, Wales. It is near the village of Brynsiencyn. The church is about 400 meters (a quarter of a mile) from the Menai Strait. This strait is the water that separates Anglesey island from mainland Wales.
People believe that a church was first built here in 616. St Nidan founded the church. He was a religious leader connected to St Seiriol's monastery at Penmon. The area around the church is named after it. The Welsh word "llan" means "enclosure" or "church."
In 1360, records show that the church was owned by a priory (a type of monastery) in Beddgelert, Gwynedd. We don't know how this distant priory came to own St Nidan's and other churches in Anglesey.
Later, King Henry VIII took ownership of the church in 1535. This happened during the time when many monasteries were closed. Then, Queen Elizabeth I gave the right to choose the parish priest (called the advowson) and the land around St Nidan's to other people. Over the years, this right and land were passed down to the Boston family.
The oldest part of the church that is still standing is from medieval times. The main entrance on the north side and the stone patterns in the windows are from the 14th century. Around 1500, the church became larger. A porch was added, and a second main part (nave) was built to the north. A row of arches was built between the two naves. Adding a second nave was not very common in Anglesey. St Nidan's is one of only three examples on the island. We don't know if the church was made bigger because more people came to church or because someone generous paid for it.
When the Church Changed
A new church was built to replace the old one between 1839 and 1843. This was needed because the old church was falling apart. Also, more people lived in Brynsiencyn, and they needed a church closer to their village.
In 1844, most of the old church was torn down. Only the western end and the central arches were left. Some new walls were built to support the arches. In 1913, the tops of the outside arches were covered to protect them from the weather.
Church services moved to the new church. Some of the old church's items were also moved. The old church was then used as a place for funerals for a while. People continued to be buried in its churchyard until 1902.
Today, the owners of Plas Llanidan have fixed up the church. They use it as their own private chapel. The churchyard is usually locked. However, the church and the gardens of Plas Llanidan are sometimes open for visitors.
Harry Longueville Jones, a clergyman from the 1800s, thought it was wrong to replace the old church. He called its destruction a "melancholy fate." He believed that only a small part of the church needed fixing. He said the new church cost more than twice what the repairs would have been. He was very upset that such an old and important building was destroyed.
People Connected to the Church
Henry Rowlands, a writer and clergyman, was the vicar of St Nidan's from 1696 until 1723. He wrote a history book about Anglesey.
Thomas Williams of Llanidan, a rich businessman from Anglesey, was buried in the churchyard in 1802. Later, his body was moved to another church.
Isaac Jones, a clergyman who translated religious books, worked at Llanidan from 1840 until he died in 1850. He is buried in the churchyard of St Nidan's.
The famous sculptor John Gibson (1790–1866) was the son of William Gibson. William was the fourth person in his family to work as the parish clerk at St Nidan's. The Gibson family had ties to the church since the early 1700s.
What the Church Looks Like
Building and Features
St Nidan's has two main parts, or naves, separated by a row of arches. There is also a porch at the south-west corner. The church is about 11.5 meters (38 feet) wide. The northern nave is a bit wider than the southern one. Before parts of the church were torn down, it was 24 meters (78 feet) long. It also had a chapel on the south side.
The walls are about 86 centimeters (2 feet 10 inches) thick. They are made from local stones with sandstone on top. The wall at the east end was added after the rest of the church was demolished. The western wall has been rebuilt. Supports, called buttresses, were added to help hold up the structure. The roof over the remaining western part is made of slates. At the top of the west end, there is a stone bell tower with two bells.
The south porch has a stone basin for holy water. People believed this water never dried up and had healing powers. There is another entrance on the north side. It has a 15th-century arched doorway with carved human heads. Above this doorway, two verses from the Bible are written in Welsh. They say: "For one day in thy Courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a door-keeper in the house of my God than to dwell in the tents of ungodliness." These are the only Bible writings left on the walls.
The north wall has a window with two sections. The two arched east windows, one in each nave, have decorative stone patterns. The southern window uses some old patterns from the 15th century.
Two of the six arches are inside the church. The other four stick out beyond the east wall. The roof is from the 15th century. The wooden beams you can see are not the original ones.
A survey in 1937 found 20 memorials from the 17th and 18th centuries. It also noted a sundial from 1768 and some stone shields with dates from 1561 and 1563. Most of the things inside St Nidan's today are not original. They came from other churches in north-west Wales. The granite altar is modern.
The "Homing Stone" and Relics
Angharad Llwyd, who wrote a history of Anglesey in 1833, shared the story of the "homing stone." This is the same story Gerald of Wales told in the 12th century. The church had a stone that looked like a human thigh. It would always return to the church, no matter how far it was taken.
Gerald said that Hugh d'Avranches, 1st Earl of Chester (who died in 1101) tested this. He threw the stone into the sea, chained to a big rock. But the stone was back at the church the next morning! Because of this, the earl ordered that no one should ever try to move it again. Henry Rowlands wrote that the stone was stolen from the churchyard wall during his time as vicar.
When Henry Rowlands was vicar, a small box was found buried under the altar. It contained some bone pieces. He thought they were the bones of a saint. He believed the box was hidden in St Nidan's for safekeeping during the time of King Edward VI of England. This stone box is now kept at the new church. Local stories say it holds the remains of St Nidan. The 13th-century font, which was very beautiful, was also moved to the new church around 1860.
Why the Church is Important
Special Status
St Nidan's is a very important building. It is a Grade II* listed building. This is the second-highest level of protection in Wales. It means the church is "particularly important" and has "more than special interest." It got this status on January 30, 1968.
It is considered a "good example of a simple medieval rural church." It also has special additions from the 15th century. Even though it was partly torn down in the 1800s, what is left is well-preserved. It is an important example of a church with two naves. It still has many features from the 15th century, like the central arches.
The wall around the churchyard is also a listed building. It is a Grade II listed building. This means it is of "special interest." The wall probably dates from the 15th century, around the time the church was made bigger.
Comments About the Church
In 1802, a clergyman named John Skinner visited Anglesey. He thought the church "seems superior" to most Welsh churches. He liked its double roof and two bells. However, he also said the inside had "little to attract notice."
Angharad Llwyd described it in 1833 as a "spacious structure" with "several good monuments."
Before it was torn down, Harry Longueville Jones said St Nidan's was "one of the largest and most important" churches in Anglesey. He liked its different styles, its items, and its old stories. He also noted its "rather curious" spot, surrounded by tall trees. He said the western end, covered in ivy, looked "picturesque."
After the church was partly torn down, Sir Stephen Glynne visited it in 1850. He said St Nidan's was "now abandoned and in great measure ruinated." But he still thought it was "a larger and better structure than most of the Anglesey churches." He noted that most of the church was "open to the skies."
A historian named Edmund Tyrrell Green wrote in 1929 that the arches were "good." He also said some of the window patterns were "very good." He believed the church's excellent work was because of its connection to Beddgelert Priory.
A 1990 book called St Nidan's "an evocative shell" covered in ivy, with an "overgrown graveyard." They described it as "a dark, dusty and empty place." But they also said the "elegant" arches "rises from the graveyard like an abstract sculpture." The beautiful stone carvings showed the "vanished splendour of Llanidan."
A 2002 book about Welsh churchyards said that visiting St Nidan's churchyard is "rewarding." It said there is "little to distract and much to suggest the quiet years of Nidan's ministry." The author noted how the site is hidden from the Menai Strait. They added that "some stillness still remains in secret places like Llanidan." A 2005 guide to Wales said that the "romantic yew-encircled ruin" of St Nidan's "should not be missed."
Images for kids
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The surviving western section of St Nidan's and the central arcade
See also
In Spanish: Antigua iglesia de San Nidan para niños
