St Teilo's Church, Llandeilo Tal-y-bont facts for kids
St Teilo's Church is a very old building that was first located near Pontarddulais in Wales. It has been carefully moved and rebuilt at the St Fagans National History Museum in Cardiff. Now, visitors can see it there, looking just like it did hundreds of years ago!
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The Church's Story
This church is believed to have been built a long, long time ago, either in the 12th or 13th century. That means it's over 800 years old! People used the church regularly until about 1850. After that, it was only used for a few special services during the summer.
Getting to Church
Imagine this: in the early 1900s, people who wanted to go to this church sometimes used small, round boats called coracles. They paddled across the River Loughor to reach the church! The church stopped being used completely in 1970. Then, in 1984, it started to be taken apart, piece by piece, so it could be moved to St Fagans.
Hidden Art Discovered
Before the church was moved, something amazing was found! Old paintings were discovered on the walls, hidden under layers of plaster. When the church was carefully taken apart, these paintings were removed and saved. The oldest painting found was a picture of St Catherine, which experts think was painted in the 1400s.
Rebuilding the Past
The church was rebuilt to look exactly as it would have in about 1530. This was a huge project!
New Wood and Carvings
New wooden beams for the roof came from Northeast Wales. A special screen, called a rood screen, and a loft were carved from oak wood. This amazing carving work was done by the project's main carpenter, Ray Smith MBE.
Bringing Wall Paintings Back to Life
The old wall paintings were very fragile. About one-third of the paintings you see now are reconstructions. This means they were carefully recreated based on the original pieces found. The original parts of the paintings are kept safe by the National Museum of Wales. Experts also used ideas from paintings in other old churches to complete the missing parts.
One of the original paintings showed the Holy Trinity, with God the Father behind a crucifix. Some people believe the head of the king in this painting looks like King Henry VIII of England. This idea is supported by another painting on the opposite wall that looks like Henry's royal seal.
Opening to the Public
St Teilo's Church was the 41st building to be opened at the St Fagans National History Museum. It was officially opened in 2007 by Dr Rowan Williams, who was the Archbishop of Canterbury at the time. Now, many people can visit and learn about its long history!
