St David's Church, Llanthony facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St David's Church |
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Church of St David
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| 51°56′38″N 3°02′07″W / 51.9439°N 3.0352°W | |
| Location | Llanthony, Monmouthshire |
| Country | Wales |
| Denomination | Church in Wales |
| History | |
| Status | Grade I listed |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | Monmouth |
St David's Church is a very old church located at Llanthony Priory in Wales. It was first set up as a church in the 1500s. Later, in the late 1800s, it was carefully repaired and updated. This church is now a special Grade I-listed building, which means it's a very important historical site. It received this special status on September 1, 1956.
Contents
Exploring St David's Church: History and Design
Where is the Church Located?
St David's Church stands just south of the main area of the Llanthony Priory. This area is known as the cloister, which was a covered walkway often found in monasteries. The church was built after a big event called the Dissolution of the Monasteries. This was when many monasteries in England and Wales were closed down in the 1500s.
How the Church Was Built
The church was created using parts of the old Priory's infirmary. An infirmary was like a hospital for the monks. Many of the church's original medieval (very old, from the Middle Ages) parts were reused from this earlier building. For example, the main part of the church, called the nave, used to be the infirmary's main hall. The chancel, which is the area around the altar, was once the infirmary's chapel.
Restoration and Old Stories
The church was carefully restored between 1886 and 1887. A person named J. James Spencer led this work. He also helped restore another nearby church, the Church of St Martin, Cwmyoy.
Cadw, which is the Welsh government's historic environment service, thinks the church might be even older than the 1500s. There's a story that it was built in the 1100s. This was supposedly to remember a visit by Saint David himself to the valley. However, this story might actually be about an even older church that existed before the Priory Church.
