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Church of the Holy Cross, Kilgwrrwg

Coordinates: 51°40′56″N 2°46′45″W / 51.6822°N 2.7793°W / 51.6822; -2.7793
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Church of the Holy Cross, Kilgwrrwg
Church of the Holy Cross
"a medieval church from a now deserted village"
Church of the Holy Cross, Kilgwrrwg is located in Monmouthshire
Church of the Holy Cross, Kilgwrrwg
Church of the Holy Cross, Kilgwrrwg
Location in Monmouthshire
51°40′56″N 2°46′45″W / 51.6822°N 2.7793°W / 51.6822; -2.7793
LocationKilgwrrwg, Monmouthshire
CountryWales
DenominationChurch in Wales
WebsiteHoly Cross, Kilgwrrwg
History
StatusParish church
FoundedC13th century
Architecture
Functional statusActive
Heritage designationGrade II*
Designated19 August 1955
Architectural typeChurch
StyleEarly English/Decorated
Administration
DioceseMonmouth
ArchdeaconryMonmouth
DeaneryNetherwent
ParishKilgwrrwg
Clergy
Vicar(s)The Reverend M J Gollop

The Church of the Holy Cross, Kilgwrrwg, Monmouthshire, Wales, is an early medieval parish church that once served a now abandoned village. A Grade II* listed building, the church remains an active parish church and is part of the Severn Wye Ministry Area.[1]

History

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The writer Clive Aslet, who describes the church as "the remotest (.) in Wales",[2] recounts the legend of the founding of the church, on the spot where two yoked heifers rested.[2] The circular churchyard suggests a Celtic, possibly pre-Christian, origin for the site.[2] The present church is early medieval,[3] Cadw suggesting a 13th-century date. [4]

The existing features are from the 16th, 17th and 19th centuries.[4] By the early 19th century, the church was described as little more than "a dilapidated sheepfold".[4] A restoration took place in 1820, at the instigation, and mostly at the expense, of a local schoolmaster, James Davies.[4] More extensive rebuilding was undertaken by John Prichard in 1871,[3] and again in 1977-9 (Cadw)[4] or 1989-90 (Newman).[3] At the time of the 20th century reconstruction, the church was named Holy Cross, no earlier dedication being recorded.[4]

Architecture and description

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The church is constructed of Old Red Sandstone,[3] the style a mix of Early English and Decorated.[5] It consists of a chancel, nave, porch and bellcote.[4] The interior is simple, the chancel having a plain truss rather than an arch.[3] The church is Grade II* listed, the listing noting it as an "attractive and little altered medieval church from a now deserted village".[4]

The churchyard contains an early cross, which is both a Grade II listed structure and a Scheduled monument.[6] It is the only complete churchyard cross remaining in Monmouthshire.[7][a]

The church has one bell by the William Evans Foundry of Chepstow.[1]

Notes

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  1. ^ a b "Holy Cross, Kilgwrrwg". www.severnwyema.co.uk. Severn Wye Ministry Area. Retrieved 3 March 2024.
  2. ^ a b c Aslet 2011, p. 480.
  3. ^ a b c d e Newman 2000, p. 262.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h Cadw. "Church of the Holy Cross, Kilgwrrwg (Grade II*) (2025)". National Historic Assets of Wales. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
  5. ^ "Holy Cross Church, Kilgwrrwg (307344)". Coflein. RCAHMW. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
  6. ^ Cadw. "Churchyard Cross at the Church of the Holy Cross, Kilgwrrwg (Grade II) (2026)". National Historic Assets of Wales. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
  7. ^ Evans 1997, p. 12.
  8. ^ Mitchell 1893, p. 26.

Footnotes

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  1. ^ The only other complete cross in Monmouthshire is the Cross at Croes Llwyd Farm.[8]

Sources

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