St Llibio's Church, Llanllibio is a demolished church in

Anglesey Anglesey (; cy, (Ynys) Môn ) is an island off the north-west coast of Wales. It forms a principal area known as the Isle of Anglesey, that includes Holy Island across the narrow Cymyran Strait and some islets and skerries. Anglesey island ...

, north Wales. Founded by Llibio in the sixth century, the church served a small community of bondmen as a

chapel of ease A chapel of ease (or chapel-of-ease) is a church architecture, church building other than the parish church, built within the bounds of a parish for the attendance of those who cannot reach the parish church conveniently. Often a chapel of ea ...

. The population of

Llanllibio Llanllibio is a hamlet in the community of Bodedern, Ynys Môn, Wales, named after Saint Llibio which is 138.5 miles (222.9 km) from Cardiff and 223 miles (358.9 km) from London.Atlas Mon (Llangefni, 1972). St Llibio's Church, Llanll ...

declined substantially during the Middle Ages as a result of the

Black Death The Black Death (also known as the Pestilence, the Great Mortality or the Plague) was a bubonic plague pandemic occurring in Western Eurasia and North Africa from 1346 to 1353. It is the most fatal pandemic recorded in human history, causi ...

and changes in farming practice, amongst other factors, and the community that the church served effectively disappeared. As a result, St Llibio's closed in the seventeenth century; the remaining worshippers moved to another local church. Plans in the nineteenth century to rebuild the church, which was in ruins by 1776, came to nothing. Except for a memorial stone, nothing more than "tiny traces" of St Llibio's can now be seen.

Early history

St Llibio's was the church for

, north Wales. A survey of Anglesey conducted in 1352 records Llanllibio as a township, a Welsh form of land tenure in which the inhabitants, who were generally few in number, were bondmen working for the lord in return for a small arable holding and some grazing rights. It was the only township in Anglesey to have a church. Like many other communities in Anglesey, and elsewhere in medieval Wales, Llanllibio's population decreased substantially during the Middle Ages, and the settlement effectively disappeared. Communities such as Llanllibio were affected by the

, the destruction resulting from the revolt of Owen Glyndwr, by changes in land tenure, and by new farming practices that reduced the need for tied labour. The parish was on the old road between London and the Anglesey port town of

Holyhead Holyhead (,; cy, Caergybi , "Cybi's fort") is the largest town and a community in the county of Isle of Anglesey, Wales, with a population of 13,659 at the 2011 census. Holyhead is on Holy Island, bounded by the Irish Sea to the north, and is ...

, and about from

Bodedern Bodedern is a village and community in the west of Anglesey, Wales. At the 2001 census, it had a population of 1,074, decreasing slightly to 1,051 at the 2011 census. The community includes the settlements of Llanllibio and Pen-llyn. Location ...

. The church was dedicated to St Llibio, a sixth-century monk, confessor, and disciple of the Anglesey saint

Cybi Saint Cuby (in Cornish) or Saint Cybi (in Welsh) was a 6th-century Cornish bishop, saint and, briefly, king, who worked largely in Cornwall and North Wales: his biography is recorded in two slightly variant medieval 'lives'. Life in Cornwal ...

. Llibio himself is recorded as having founded a church on the site, and his feast day was celebrated on 28 February. The area took its name from the church: the Welsh word "" originally meant "enclosure" and then "church". St Llibio's was used as a

to the Church of St Afran, St Ieuan and St Sannan, Llantrisant, about away.

Closure

St Llibio's was closed in the seventeenth century, and the church at Llantrisant was enlarged to accommodate worshippers from Llanllibio. By 1776 St Llibio's was in ruins. According to

Angharad Llwyd Angharad Llwyd (15 April 1780 – 16 October 1866) was a Welsh antiquary and a prizewinner at the National Eisteddfod of Wales. She is generally considered one of the most important collectors and copiers of manuscripts of the period. Biography ...

, a historian of Anglesey writing in 1833, the inhabitants of the area attended worship at

St Edern's Church, Bodedern St Edern's Church, Bodedern (sometimes referred to as St Edeyrn's Church) is a medieval parish church in the village of Bodedern, in Anglesey, north Wales. Although St Edern established a church in the area in the 6th century, the oldest parts of ...

. She noted that Wynne Jones, the rector of Llantrisant, hoped to rebuild the church, but that did not happen. A survey in 1937 by the

Royal Commission on Ancient and Historical Monuments in Wales and Monmouthshire The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales (RCAHMW; cy, Comisiwn Brenhinol Henebion Cymru; ), established in 1908, is a Welsh Government sponsored body concerned with some aspects of the archaeological, architectura ...

stated that "the church has entirely disappeared, but the foundations of the churchyard wall are still visible." A 2006 guide to the churches of Anglesey says that "only tiny traces" of the church can be seen, adding that a memorial slate marks its location.

References

Bibliography *

External links

Photographs of the site and the memorial stone
{{DEFAULTSORT:Llanllibio, St Llibio

Saint Llibio Llanllibio Bodedern