St Peirio's Church, Rhosbeirio facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Peirio's Church |
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The church from the east
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| OS grid reference | SH391917 |
| Location | Rhosbeirio, Anglesey |
| Country | Wales, United Kingdom |
| History | |
| Status | Church |
| Founded | 605 (reputedly) Current building said to date from no earlier than the 15th century |
| Dedication | St Peirio |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Closed |
| Heritage designation | Grade II |
| Designated | 12 May 1970 |
| Style | Medieval |
| Specifications | |
| Length | 36 ft (11.0 m) |
| Width | 13 ft 9 in (4.2 m) |
| Materials | Rubble masonry |
St Peirio's Church is a small, old church in Rhosbeirio, Anglesey, north Wales. It's not used for services anymore and has been closed for some time. People think a church might have first been built here around the year 605. The building you see today probably dates back to the 1400s. It was repaired and updated in the 1700s and 1800s.
This church is a Grade II listed building. This means it's a special old building that needs to be protected. Even though it's been changed a bit over the years, it still looks like a simple, old country church. One writer from the 1800s called it "one of the humblest" churches in Anglesey.
Contents
History of St Peirio's Church
When Was the Church Built?
It's not clear exactly when the first church was built in this spot. Some people in the 1800s believed a church was first set up here around the year 605. However, none of that very old building is left today. The walls of the current church are thought to be from the 1400s.
Repairs and Changes Over Time
The church has been repaired several times. One big repair happened in 1812. Later in the 1800s, the church was fixed up again, and a new roof was added. A person named Lord Stanley of Alderley paid for this work. He was a supporter of the church. He asked that some Islamic designs be included in the repairs. Because of this, the windows at St Peirio's have cool geometric patterns made of small pieces of colored glass. He asked for the same thing at St Mary's Church, Bodewryd nearby in 1867.
Where is the Church Located?
St Peirio's Church is in the countryside of Anglesey. It sits in a churchyard next to a road between Llanfechell and Bodewryd. You walk along a path lined with trees to reach it. It's about 2.25 kilometers from St Mechell's Church, Llanfechell, which is still used today. Long ago, St Peirio's was a smaller church connected to St Eilian's Church, Llaneilian.
In 1833, a Welsh historian named Angharad Llwyd wrote that this "small ancient edifice" was quite far from the village of Rhosbeirio. She also noted that services were only held there once a month. By 2006, the church had been closed for some years, and its windows were boarded up. However, the building itself was still in good condition.
Architecture and Features
What the Church Looks Like
The church is built from rough stones called rubble masonry. It has a roof made of slate. At the west end, there's a small tower for a bell, called a bellcote. Stone crosses are on the roofs of the porch and the chancel (the part of the church near the altar). Inside, you can see the wooden beams of the roof. The walls are believed to be from the 1400s.
Inside the Church
The church doesn't have a wall separating the main area (the nave) from the chancel. The whole church is about 11 meters long and 4.2 meters wide. The porch, which is at the west end of the south wall, was added in the late 1800s.
There is one window on the north wall and two on the south wall. These are single windows in rectangular frames. The east window has two vertical sections of glass. All the windows were added in the late 1800s.
Old Items in the Church
The church has a simple, bowl-shaped font (a basin for baptisms) that dates back to the 1100s. There's also a brass plaque that remembers three people who died in the 1640s. A survey from 1937 noted that the church had a silver cup from 1630 and a silver plate from 1784–85. The churchyard outside has some old gravestones, including a few from the 1980s and 1990s.
Protecting St Peirio's Church
Why is it a Listed Building?
St Peirio's Church is a Grade II listed building. This means it's recognized as a special building that needs to be protected from big changes. It got this status on May 12, 1970. It's listed as a "simple, rural Medieval church."
Cadw, which is the Welsh government body that looks after old buildings in Wales, says that the church still has "much of its original vernacular character." This means it keeps its original local style, even with the changes made in the 1800s.
What People Said About It
In 1861, a writer named Harry Longueville Jones described St Peirio's as "one of the humblest ecclesiastical buildings in Anglesey." He also said that it didn't have any special architectural features that stood out.
