The Church of St Michael,

Llanvihangel Gobion Llanfihangel Gobion ( cy, Llanfihangel-y-gofion) is a village and rural parish of Monmouthshire, Wales, lying within the administrative community of Llanover. Location Llanfihangel Gobion is located approximately 5 miles east of Abergavenny ...

Monmouthshire Monmouthshire ( cy, Sir Fynwy) is a county in the south-east of Wales. The name derives from the historic county of the same name; the modern county covers the eastern three-fifths of the historic county. The largest town is Abergavenny, with ...

is a parish church with datable origins to the 15th century. There is no record of a Victorian restoration, although one must have occurred (the weathervane bears the date 1846), but there is documented evidence of a "light" reconstruction in 1925. Since the date, the church has barely been altered. It now is closed, having been declared redundant and is in the care of the Representative Body of the Church in Wales. It is a Grade II* listed building.

History

The datable elements of the church are from the 15th century, although its origins may be earlier, it sits in a circular churchyard and an earlier sculpture has been incorporated into its South wall near the tower. The similarities of the roof-line and tower with those at

St Cadoc's Church, Llangattock-juxta-Usk The Church of St Cadoc, Llangattock-Juxta-Usk, Monmouthshire is a parish church with its datable origins in the 15th century. The church was restored in 1827 and again in 1864–5. It is a Grade II* listed building. History The church sits jus ...

may suggest the involvement of the Gloucestershire engineer John Upton in a Victorian rebuilding, although there is no documented evidence of this. Upton also undertook work at the nearby

Pant-y-Goitre Bridge Pant-y-Goitre Bridge crosses the River Usk between Abergavenny and Usk near the village of Llanfair Kilgeddin. The bridge carries the B4598. It was constructed in 1821 by the engineer John Upton. History The bridge was designed and built in ...

. The architectural historian John Newman writes that the church was "lightly restored in 1925". St Michael’s is now

closed Closed may refer to: Mathematics * Closure (mathematics), a set, along with operations, for which applying those operations on members always results in a member of the set * Closed set, a set which contains all its limit points * Closed interval, ...

. It remains a Grade II* listed building.

Architecture and description

The church is constructed of Old Red Sandstone rubble. The most notable interior features are the "timber aisle-posts, polyganol and moulded",

Cadw (, a Welsh verbal noun meaning "keeping/preserving") is the historic environment service of the Welsh Government and part of the Tourism and Culture group. works to protect the historic buildings and structures, the landscapes and heritage s ...

recording the "good internal carpentry including unusual timber arcade". Of particular interest is a crudely carved stone depicting two angels holding what appears to be a shroud below that of another, headless, figure which may represent the resurrected Christ. This is possibly from a chapel or other religious establishment which originally stood here. Also of note is the impressively large base of a 14th-century preaching cross opposite the South porch.

Notes

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Llanvihangel Gobion, Saint Michael Grade II* listed churches in Monmouthshire History of Monmouthshire Church in Wales church buildings 15th-century church buildings in Wales