The Church of St Cybi, Llangybi, Monmouthshire is a parish church with its origins in the 13th or 14th century. Refurbished in the 15th century, the church was restored in 1909–10. The interior has a notable collection of

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

wall paintings, in particular a '' Christ of the Trades'', dating from c.1460. The church is an active parish church and part of the recently-formed Heart of Monmouthshire Ministry Area. It is a

Grade II* listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Ir ...

and the architectural writer John Newman, recording the church in the Buildings of Wales series, described it as "one of the most interesting in the Usk Valley."

History

The church is dedicated to St Cybi, a 6th-century Cornish saint who is reputed to have founded the church. The present church dates from either the 13th or the 14th century. The church was refurbished in the early 18th century and then restored in the early 20th century by W H Dashwood Caple. The wall paintings are medieval and include ''The Creed'' and a depiction of ''Christ of the Trades''. Whitewashed over for centuries, they are now fully restored, as part of an extensive restoration of the church.

Adam of Usk Adam of Usk ( cy, Adda o Frynbuga, c. 1352–1430) was a Welsh priest, canonist, and late medieval historian and chronicler. His writings were hostile to King Richard II of England. Patronage Born at Usk in what is now Monmouthshire (Sir Fynwy) ...

, the 15th-century priest and chronicler, was the incumbent of the parish in 1423. The churchyard is the site of the grave of the victims of a Spanish sailor, Josef Garcia, who was convicted and hanged for the murder of five members of the Watkins family, resident in the village, in a notorious 19th century murder case. Just outside the churchyard, are the remains of a

Holy well A holy well or sacred spring is a well, spring or small pool of water revered either in a Christian or pagan context, sometimes both. The water of holy wells is often thought to have healing qualities, through the numinous presence of its guar ...

, also dedicated to St Cybi. Recent scholarship suggests that the well, and the White Hart Inn in the village, were referenced by

T.S. Eliot Thomas Stearns Eliot (26 September 18884 January 1965) was a poet, essayist, publisher, playwright, literary critic and editor.Bush, Ronald. "T. S. Eliot's Life and Career", in John A Garraty and Mark C. Carnes (eds), ''American National B ...

in his poem ''Usk''. The relevant lines read: ::"Do not suddenly break the branch, or ::Hope to find ::The white hart behind the white well."

Architecture and description

The style of the building is

Perpendicular In elementary geometry, two geometric objects are perpendicular if they intersect at a right angle (90 degrees or π/2 radians). The condition of perpendicularity may be represented graphically using the ''perpendicular symbol'', ⟂. It ca ...

. The West Tower is two-storeyed and without

buttresses A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall. Buttresses are fairly common on more ancient buildings, as a means of providing support to act against the lateral (si ...

. The medieval roof of the nave has been exposed during current renovations. Simon Jenkins described the early 20th century restoration of the interior as "masterly" and attributes it to W. D. Caröe. In addition to the medieval wall painting, the interior has a number of 17th century painted inscriptions. It also has some funerary monuments, including one dedicated to John Morgan, and dated 1805, by Tyley of Bristol. The monument depicts a woman crying over an urn under a spreading

weeping willow ''Salix babylonica'' (Babylon willow or weeping willow; ) is a species of willow native to dry areas of northern China, but cultivated for millennia elsewhere in Asia, being traded along the Silk Road to southwest Asia and Europe.Flora of China' ...

. Opinions differ as to its quality; the Cadw record describes it as "good", while Newman considers it "hackneyed." Newman takes a more positive view of the church overall, considering it "one of the most interesting in the Usk Valley". The pulpit is a reconstructed example from the 18th century, with an associated sounding board to amplify the preacher's voice. The pews are of the 19th century, and the now-refurbished organ dates from 1933.

Notes

References

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Llangybi, Saint Cybi Grade II* listed churches in Monmouthshire History of Monmouthshire Church in Wales church buildings 14th-century church buildings in Wales