The Church of St Aeddan,
Bettws Newydd,
Monmouthshire
Monmouthshire ( ; ) is a Principal areas of Wales, county in the South East Wales, south east of Wales. It borders Powys to the north; the English counties of Herefordshire and Gloucestershire to the north and east; the Severn Estuary to the s ...
, Wales, is a fifteenth-century church of twelfth-century origin. It contains a notable
rood screen
The rood screen (also choir screen, chancel screen, or jubé) is a common feature in late medieval church architecture. It is typically an ornate partition between the chancel and nave, of more or less open tracery constructed of wood, stone, o ...
. The church is a
Grade I listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...
and remains an active
parish church
A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in com ...
in the Heart of Monmouthshire Ministry Area.
History and architecture
The church dates from the twelfth century but the current building is
medieval
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...
.
It was restored in 1872. In 2020 the church was forced into temporary closure after
Storm Dennis
Storm Dennis was a European windstorm which, in February 2020, became one of the most intense extratropical cyclones ever recorded, reaching a minimum central pressure of . The thirteenth named storm of the 2019–20 European windstorm season, ...
caused serious damage to the roof and water ingress into the interior. A grant provided jointly by the
National Churches Trust
The National Churches Trust, formerly the Historic Churches Preservation Trust, is a British Charitable organization#United Kingdom, registered charity whose aim is to "promote and support church buildings of historic, architectural and community ...
and the
Wolfson Foundation
The Wolfson Foundation is a British registered charity that awards grants to support science and medicine, health, education and the arts and humanities. It was established in 1955 and re-registered in 2014.
, the endowment of the Wolfson Fo ...
enabled repairs to the roof and the church reopened in 2024.
The interior contains "perhaps the most complete rood arrangement remaining in any church in England and Wales". The
rood screen
The rood screen (also choir screen, chancel screen, or jubé) is a common feature in late medieval church architecture. It is typically an ornate partition between the chancel and nave, of more or less open tracery constructed of wood, stone, o ...
, loft and
tympanum are all in situ. The
considers that the screen is "most remarkable" and "probably unique in the British Isles". The church is a
Grade I listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...
.
St Aeddan's remains an active
parish church
A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in com ...
in the Heart of Monmouthshire Ministry. The churchyard contains three historic
yew trees
Gallery
Notes
References
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bettws Newydd, Saint Aeddan
Grade I listed churches in Monmouthshire
Church in Wales church buildings in Monmouthshire
15th-century church buildings in Wales