St Melangell's Church

St Melangell’s Church stands in the Tanat Valley, near the Berwyn Mountains in Powys. The building is medieval, founded around the 8th century and rebuilt in the 12th. It is made of several types of stone and has a single nave with a square tower. The east end holds an apse called the cell-y-bedd, which contains Melangell’s grave. The churchyard contains thousands of graves, most unmarked, and several ancient yew trees. The church preserves the oldest surviving Romanesque shrine in northern Europe. This 12th-century shrine was reconstructed in 1958 from fragments found in and around the church. Archaeological work in the 1980s uncovered Bronze Age burials and medieval activity at the site. The church has been restored several times, including major work in the 19th and 20th centuries. A cancer ministry began there after the 1980s renovation. Pilgrims still visit, drawn by the site’s long spiritual history. Inside, the church holds a 15th-century rood screen painted with scenes from Melangell’s legend. Two 14th-century effigies, paintings and liturgical fittings remain. Nearby is Gwely Melangell, a natural rock shelf with the words ‘St Monacella’s Bed’ carved into it. About a kilometre north lies Ffynnon Cwm Ewyn, a holy well said to cure rheumatism and skin diseases. The narrow road from Llangynog makes the church more secluded than many pilgrimage sites.