St Celynnin’s Church, Llwyngwril

St Celynnin’s Church, Llwyngwril

This church was built in 1842, according to a date plaque set into the wall above the east window. Previously villagers had to go to the old Llangelynnin church for Anglican worship.

This church, like the old one, was dedicated to St Celynnin. He lived in the 6th century and was reputedly one of the 12 sons of Helig ap Glannog, who lost his court, known as Llys Helig, when the sea inundated it. As a result of this loss, the sons lived devout lives, some as monks. Llys Helig was said to be off the north coast Snowdonia, and an old church near Conwy is dedicated to Celynnin. (By coincidence, that church was also replaced by a “new” Llangelynnin church, just two years before the new one in Llwyngwril.)

The “new” church here was built in the relatively simple style of the 1840s, before the fashion for Gothic architecture later in Queen Victoria’s reign. The church retains its gallery inside. The bellcote was a later addition. The church bell is dated 1666. It was transferred here from the old Llangelynnin church in September 1914.

In 1919 two stained glass windows in the church were unveiled in memory of the Countess de Morella, widow of a Spanish field-marshal. She had been the main landowner in Llwyngwril from c.1880. You can read more about her on our page about the Garthangharad inn, which she once owned.

The windows were unveiled by one of her daughters, who also donated land for Llwyngwril’s war memorial in 1919. In 1918 she had given land, worth £1,000, to the community for its new cemetery.

Postcode: LL37 2JZ View Location Map

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