St Teilo's Church is an
Anglican
Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...
parish church in the town of
Llandeilo
Llandeilo () is a town and Community (Wales), community in Carmarthenshire, Wales, situated where the River Towy is crossed by the A483 road, A483 on a 19th-century stone bridge. At the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 census the community had ...
,
Carmarthenshire
Carmarthenshire (; or informally ') is a Principal areas of Wales, county in the South West Wales, south-west of Wales. The three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford. Carmarthen is the county town and administrative centre. ...
, Wales. The fabric of the building has medieval origins but stands on a much older site and was rebuilt in the early eighteenth century. It was designated as a
Grade II
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 ...
listed building on 14 March 1966
The church
This large church is located in Church Street where it is conspicuous, with a very large churchyard. As a Christian centre, Llandeilo dates back to the sixth century. Very little is known about
Saint Teilo
Saint Teilo ( or '; Wainewright, John. in ''The Catholic Encyclopedia'', Vol. XIV. Robert Appleton Co. (New York), 1912. Accessed 20 July 2013. or '; or '; – 9 February ), also known as Eliud, was a British Christian monk, bish ...
, to whom the church is dedicated, but he seems to have travelled around Wales because there are several other churches dedicated to him in other places. He is believed to have made Llandeilo his main base and be buried there, although
Llandaff Cathedral
Llandaff Cathedral () is a Church in Wales cathedral and parish church in Llandaff, Cardiff, Wales. It is the seat of the Bishop of Llandaff, head of the Church in Wales Diocese of Llandaff. It is dedicated to Saint Peter and Saint Paul, and ...
has disputed this. There is a legend that after his death, his body was placed in Llandeilo church and three clergy from different churches prayed that he could be buried in their churches (Llandeilo, Llandaff and his birthplace
Penally
Penally () is a coastal village, parish and community southwest of Tenby in Pembrokeshire, Wales. The village is known for its Celtic Cross, Penally Abbey (a Gothic style country house), the neighbouring St. Deiniol's Well, WWI Practice trenc ...
). In the morning, three bodies were miraculously found, so that an authentic body could be buried at each church.
The church was designated as a
Grade II
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 ...
listed building on 14 March 1966, being listed because it is a fine example of a church of its period, and has historic associations. The
curates the archaeological, architectural and historic records for this church. These include digital photographs, a collection of old postcards, a Victorian Society South Wales Group Tour Guide, NMR site files and Cadw registered files.
References
External links
* {{Commons category-inline, St Teilo's Church, Llandeilo
Llandeilo, St Teilo
Llandeilo