St Ellyw's Church, Llanelieu
Encyclopedia
St Ellyw's Church, Llanelieu, is a redundant church
in the village of Llanelieu
, Powys
, Wales. It has been designated by Cadw
as a Grade I listed building, and is under the care of the Friends of Friendless Churches
. It is sited at the edge of the Black Mountains
within the Brecon Beacons National Park.
carried out a restoration, and added a bell turret
. Further repairs were undertaken in 1981. The church was acquired by the charity
, the Friends of Friendless Churches, in 1999. The charity holds a 999 year lease
with effect from 19 November 1999.
rubble
and has a slate
roof. Its plan consists of a single undivided cell with a south porch and a gable
d bell turret at the west end. Immediately to the east of the porch is a blocked medieval
door and there is a narrow priest's door dating from the 13th century further to the east. The windows on the north side of the church are lancets
while those on the south side, and at the east and west ends, are two-light windows.
and the chancel
. Between them is a 14th-century rood screen
complete with its loft. This is described as being "an exceptional regional example of a medieval rood screen". The loft is painted blood red, and it has quatrefoil
openings to allow a view of the altar from it. The plastered
walls of the church exhibit a variety of paintings, some from the medieval period, and some from the post-Reformation
era. On the west wall are depictions of Adam and Eve
standing on each side of a tree, and elsewhere are flower patterns, all probably dating from the medieval period. Later paintings include biblical texts, creeds, commandments
, royal arms
, and figures with drapery. The sanctuary
is paved with tomb slabs and contains a double piscina
on the east wall and an aumbry
in the south wall. The font
is octagonal with a 17th-century oak cover. The pulpit
dates from the early 18th century. There are two oak pews from the 17th-18th century. On the walls are memorial tablets.
.
Redundant church
A redundant church is a church building that is no longer required for regular public worship. The phrase is particularly used to refer to former Anglican buildings in the United Kingdom, but may refer to any disused church building around the world...
in the village of Llanelieu
Llanelieu
Llanelieu is a small settlement and former civil parish in Powys, Wales on the northern edge of the Black Mountains within the Brecon Beacons National Park. It was formerly in the county of Brecknockshire. The settlement is now part of the Community of Talgarth...
, Powys
Powys
Powys is a local-government county and preserved county in Wales.-Geography:Powys covers the historic counties of Montgomeryshire and Radnorshire, most of Brecknockshire , and a small part of Denbighshire — an area of 5,179 km², making it the largest county in Wales by land area.It is...
, Wales. It has been designated by Cadw
Cadw
-Conservation and Protection:Many of Wales's great castles and other monuments, such as bishop's palaces, historic houses, and ruined abbeys, are now in Cadw's care. Cadw does not own them but is responsible for their upkeep and for making them accessible to the public...
as a Grade I listed building, and is under the care of the Friends of Friendless Churches
Friends of Friendless Churches
Friends of Friendless Churches is a registered charity active in England and Wales. It campaigns for and rescues redundant historic churches threatened by demolition, decay, or inappropriate conversion. To that end, as of August 2010, it owns 43 former churches or chapels, 23 of which...
. It is sited at the edge of the Black Mountains
Black Mountains, Wales
The Black Mountains are a group of hills spread across parts of Powys and Monmouthshire in southeast Wales, and extending across the national border into Herefordshire, England. They are the easternmost of the four ranges of hills that comprise the Brecon Beacons National Park, and are frequently...
within the Brecon Beacons National Park.
History
The church dates from the 13th century with additions in the 15th century. The south porch was built in the 16th century. In 1905 Baldwins of BreconBrecon
Brecon is a long-established market town and community in southern Powys, Mid Wales, with a population of 7,901. It was the county town of the historic county of Brecknockshire; although its role as such was eclipsed with the formation of Powys, it remains an important local centre...
carried out a restoration, and added a bell turret
Bell tower
A bell tower is a tower which contains one or more bells, or which is designed to hold bells, even if it has none. In the European tradition, such a tower most commonly serves as part of a church and contains church bells. When attached to a city hall or other civic building, especially in...
. Further repairs were undertaken in 1981. The church was acquired by the charity
Charitable organization
A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization . It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization (NPO). It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A...
, the Friends of Friendless Churches, in 1999. The charity holds a 999 year lease
Leasehold estate
A leasehold estate is an ownership of a temporary right to land or property in which a lessee or a tenant holds rights of real property by some form of title from a lessor or landlord....
with effect from 19 November 1999.
Exterior
It is constructed in sandstoneSandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
rubble
Rubble
Rubble is broken stone, of irregular size, shape and texture. This word is closely connected in derivation with "rubbish", which was formerly also applied to what we now call "rubble". Rubble naturally found in the soil is known also as brash...
and has a slate
Slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. The result is a foliated rock in which the foliation may not correspond to the original sedimentary layering...
roof. Its plan consists of a single undivided cell with a south porch and a gable
Gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
d bell turret at the west end. Immediately to the east of the porch is a blocked medieval
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
door and there is a narrow priest's door dating from the 13th century further to the east. The windows on the north side of the church are lancets
Lancet window
A lancet window is a tall narrow window with a pointed arch at its top. It acquired the "lancet" name from its resemblance to a lance. Instances of this architectural motif are most often found in Gothic and ecclesiastical structures, where they are often placed singly or in pairs.The motif first...
while those on the south side, and at the east and west ends, are two-light windows.
Interior
The floor of the church is stone-flagged, and there is a one-step rise between the naveNave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
and the chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
. Between them is a 14th-century rood screen
Rood screen
The rood screen is a common feature in late medieval church architecture. It is typically an ornate partition between the chancel and nave, of more or less open tracery constructed of wood, stone, or wrought iron...
complete with its loft. This is described as being "an exceptional regional example of a medieval rood screen". The loft is painted blood red, and it has quatrefoil
Quatrefoil
The word quatrefoil etymologically means "four leaves", and applies to general four-lobed shapes in various contexts.-In heraldry:In heraldic terminology, a quatrefoil is a representation of a flower with four petals, or a leaf with four leaflets . It is sometimes shown "slipped", i.e. with an...
openings to allow a view of the altar from it. The plastered
Stucco
Stucco or render is a material made of an aggregate, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as decorative coating for walls and ceilings and as a sculptural and artistic material in architecture...
walls of the church exhibit a variety of paintings, some from the medieval period, and some from the post-Reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
era. On the west wall are depictions of Adam and Eve
Adam and Eve
Adam and Eve were, according to the Genesis creation narratives, the first human couple to inhabit Earth, created by YHWH, the God of the ancient Hebrews...
standing on each side of a tree, and elsewhere are flower patterns, all probably dating from the medieval period. Later paintings include biblical texts, creeds, commandments
Ten Commandments
The Ten Commandments, also known as the Decalogue , are a set of biblical principles relating to ethics and worship, which play a fundamental role in Judaism and most forms of Christianity. They include instructions to worship only God and to keep the Sabbath, and prohibitions against idolatry,...
, royal arms
Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom
The Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom is the official coat of arms of the British monarch, currently Queen Elizabeth II. These arms are used by the Queen in her official capacity as monarch of the United Kingdom, and are officially known as her Arms of Dominion...
, and figures with drapery. The sanctuary
Sanctuary
A sanctuary is any place of safety. They may be categorized into human and non-human .- Religious sanctuary :A religious sanctuary can be a sacred place , or a consecrated area of a church or temple around its tabernacle or altar.- Sanctuary as a sacred place :#Sanctuary as a sacred place:#:In...
is paved with tomb slabs and contains a double piscina
Piscina
A piscina is a shallow basin placed near the altar of a church, used for washing the communion vessels. The sacrarium is the drain itself. Anglicans usually refer to the basin, calling it a piscina. Roman Catholics usually refer to the drain, and by extension, the basin, as the sacrarium...
on the east wall and an aumbry
Aumbry
In the Middle Ages an aumbry was a cabinet in the wall of a Christian church or in the sacristy which was used to store chalices and other vessels, as well as for the reserved sacrament, the consecrated elements from the Eucharist. This latter use was infrequent in pre-Reformation churches,...
in the south wall. The font
Baptismal font
A baptismal font is an article of church furniture or a fixture used for the baptism of children and adults.-Aspersion and affusion fonts:...
is octagonal with a 17th-century oak cover. The pulpit
Pulpit
Pulpit is a speakers' stand in a church. In many Christian churches, there are two speakers' stands at the front of the church. Typically, the one on the left is called the pulpit...
dates from the early 18th century. There are two oak pews from the 17th-18th century. On the walls are memorial tablets.
Assessment and present day use
The Cadw citation states that the church is listed Grade I because it is "an important country church that has retained much of its medieval interior, including wall paintings and an exceptional rood screen". The church is used by local people for concerts and meetings, and it is a venue for the annual Talgarth FestivalTalgarth Festival
Talgarth Festival of the Black Mountains is an annual event which takes place in the small market town of Talgarth in Mid Wales.It is a celebration of an ancient town in a modern world with events including crafts, food, live and classical music, fireworks, dog show, continental market, literature,...
.