St Govan's Chapel facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Govan's Chapel |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Christianity |
| Patron | St Govan |
| Location | |
| Location | St Govan's Head, Pembrokeshire, Wales |
 Location in Pembrokeshire
|
|
| Architecture | |
| Completed | 13th century |
|
Listed Building – Grade I
|
|
| Official name: St. Govan's Chapel | |
| Designated | 8 February 1996 |
| Reference no. | 17980 |
St Govan's Chapel is a special little church found at St Govan's Head in Pembrokeshire, south west Wales. It's built right into the side of a tall limestone cliff!
This chapel is about 20 feet long and 12 feet wide. Its walls are made from strong limestone. Inside, it has two main rooms. Most of the chapel was built in the 1200s. But some parts might be even older, perhaps from the 500s. That's when a monk named Saint Govan is believed to have lived in a cave right where the chapel now stands.
There's a cool legend that says Saint Govan is buried under the altar inside the chapel. The altar is at the east end of the building. You enter the chapel through a doorway on its north side. Inside, there are low stone benches along the walls. At the west end, there's a place where a bell used to be. The roof, made of slate, is thought to be a newer addition.
Contents
How to Visit St Govan's Chapel
To reach the chapel, you need to walk down 52 steps from the top of the cliff. But here's a fun trick: many people say that if you count the steps on the way down, you'll get a different number than when you count them on the way back up! It's a mystery!
The chapel was given a special Grade I listing on February 8, 1996. This means it's a very important historical building. The chapel is located inside the Castlemartin Training Area. This is a place used by the military for training. Because of this, sometimes the chapel might be closed to visitors.
St Govan's Chapel in Pop Culture
St Govan's Chapel was even used as a filming location! It appeared in the first three episodes of the third season of the BBC show His Dark Materials. This popular TV series is based on a fantasy book series.
Ogof Gofan: The Hidden Cave
Right below the chapel, there's a huge system of caves called Ogof Gofan. One part of this cave system is so big, it's described as looking like a "cathedral." You can only get into these caves by using ropes to climb down the cliff. This is called abseiling.
The Ogof Gofan caves were rediscovered in 1966. But people have used them for thousands of years! Back then, the sea was much further away from the cave entrance than it is today.
See also
In Spanish: Capilla de San Govan para niños
