St Mechell's Church is a medieval church in the village of

Llanfechell Llanfechell ( cy, 'Llanfechell' ' church + Saint ''Mechell'') is a village in Anglesey, Wales. It is the largest of several small villages and dispersed settlements that make up Mechell Community Council area. It is east of Holyhead, and west of ...

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 ...

, Wales. The building dates from the 12th century and was rebuilt in the mid to late 19th century. It also had some renovations in the 1990s. It was designated a

Grade II* 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 Irel ...

-listed building on 5 December 1970.

History and architecture

St Mechell's Church is dedicated to Saint Mechell. The church is in a rural and scarcely populated part of the

Isle of 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, ...

, located at the north side of the crossroads in the centre of

. The church was first mentioned in the

Norwich Taxation Annates ( or ; la, annatae, from ', "year") were a payment from the recipient of an ecclesiastical benefice to the ordaining authorities. Eventually, they consisted of half or the whole of the first year's profits of a benefice; after the appropr ...

of 1254. The oldest parts of the structure are the nave and western parts of the

chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may terminate in an apse. Ov ...

, which both date from the 12th century. The chancel was possibly lengthened in the 13th century, however its current length suggests that the chancel is an "unusually long" structure from the 12th century. The south

transept A transept (with two semitransepts) is a transverse part of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In cruciform churches, a transept is an area set crosswise to the nave in a cruciform ("cross-shaped") building wi ...

was added in the 14th century, whereas the north transept is of an uncertain date and has since been modernised. The church tower is contemporary; the western tower dates from the 16th century with an added 18th-century spire. Although modernised, the porch is most likely medieval. It has been suggested that the original 12th century church had a central tower. Factors supporting this include irregularities and joints in the walls near the central crossing. The church underwent significant renovation work in 1840, 1870 and in the late 1990s. It was designated a Grade II*-listed building on 5 December 1970.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Llanfechell, Saint Mechell 12th-century church buildings in Wales Grade II* listed churches in Anglesey