St David's Church is a
Grade II* listed medieval church in the
Welsh
Welsh may refer to:
Related to Wales
* Welsh, referring or related to Wales
* Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales
* Welsh people
People
* Welsh (surname)
* Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...
village of
Llanddewi Brefi, 3 miles south of
Tregaron
Tregaron ( "town of St Caron") is an ancient market town in Ceredigion, Wales, astride the River Brenig, a tributary of the River Teifi. Tregaron is northeast of Lampeter. According to the 2011 Census, the population of the ward of Tregaron wa ...
in the county of
Ceredigion.
History
The church was founded in 1187,
built on the site where a famous
synod
A synod () is a council of a Christian denomination, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. The word ''wikt:synod, synod'' comes from the meaning "assembly" or "meeting" and is analogous with the Latin ...
was held in the sixth century.
According to local legend, it is said that during this synod, which
St David
Saint David ( cy, Dewi Sant; la, Davidus; ) was a Welsh bishop of Mynyw (now St Davids) during the 6th century. He is the patron saint of Wales. David was a native of Wales, and tradition has preserved a relatively large amount of detail abo ...
addressed, the flat ground rose into a mound beneath his feet, allowing him to be better seen and heard by the vast crowd that had gathered to hear him speak.
The church supposedly stands on that same mound. It's possible that, in reality, it was built on the site of a
Bronze Age barrow.
The earliest Welsh translation of
Rhygyfarch's "Life of St, David", ''Llyf Ancr Llanddewi Brefi'', was written here in 1346 by an
Anchorite
In Christianity, an anchorite or anchoret (female: anchoress) is someone who, for religious reasons, withdraws from secular society so as to be able to lead an intensely prayer-oriented, ascetic, or Eucharist-focused life. While anchorites are ...
,
and is now kept in the
Bodleian Library
The Bodleian Library () is the main research library of the University of Oxford, and is one of the oldest libraries in Europe. It derives its name from its founder, Sir Thomas Bodley. With over 13 million printed items, it is the second- ...
at Oxford.
The central tower dates from the 12th century, which, in medieval times, had five bells in its belfry.
Today there is only one bell, which was given to the church by John Inglis Jones of Derry Ormond in 1874.
The 12th century nave and chancel were taken down in 1832, being beyond repair, and replaced for the sum of £285 in 1833–34.
The new building was of poor quality, however, and the nave as it stands today was rebuilt for £1,100 in 1874, and the Chancel in 1886 for £530.
Contents
The church contains a number of items of historical significance, including an
Ogham inscribed stone which stands in the tower,
that was perhaps the tombstone of a
Pelagian Christian.
Another is the Idnert Stone, of which only two-fifths exists today, as it was broken up in the 19th century to repair the nave's west wall.
Fortunately,
Edward Lluyd, having seen the Idnert Stone in 1698, made a copy of it, which reads:
"hic iacet idnert filivs iacobi qui occisvs fvit propter predam sancti david"
">Here lies Idnert son of Jacobus who was slain because of the plunder of the Sanctuary of David""Llanddewi Brefi fraith,
Lle brefodd yr ŷch naw gwaith
Nes hollti Craif y Foelallt."
Mottled-hued Llanddewi Brefi,
Where the ox lowed nine times,
Splitting open Foelallt's rock."/blockquote>The story goes that one of two oxen employed to carry stones to build the church died from being overworked, at which point the other bellowed nine times, its cries so loud and mournful that Foelallt Hill was consequently split open.
References
{{coord, 52.1798, N, 3.9556, W, source:wikidata, display=title
Llanddewi Brefi, St David