| St Michael’s church is located in the beautiful and peaceful village of Llanfihangel y Creuddyn. It is the oldest standing building in the village, and is set within a landscape steeped in history, encompassing prehistoric hillforts, Roman forts and villas, and lead mines. | Lleolir eglwys Sant Mihangel ym mhentref hardd a heddychlon Llanfihangel y Creuddyn. Dyma’r adeilad hynaf sy’n sefyll yn y pentref, ac mae wedi’i leoli o fewn tirwedd sy’n llawn hanes, sy’n cwmpasu bryngaerau cynhanesyddol, caerau a filâu Rhufeinig, a mwyngloddiau plwm. |
| We do not know the exact date the church we see today was built; it first appears in records around AD 1300, though its origins are likely to be much earlier. The Welsh Lords of the Commote of Creuddyn, for which Llanfihangel was the administrative centre with court and probable bond village, would certainly have had a church here and the Brut y Tywysogion (The Chronicle of the Princes) notes that Gwenllian, daughter of Maelgwn Ieuanc (Fychan), died at her father’s court or Llys at Llanfihangel Gelynrhod (an older name for the settlement) in 1254. | Nid ydym yn gwybod yr union ddyddiad yr adeiladwyd yr eglwys a welwn heddiw; mae’n ymddangos gyntaf mewn cofnodion tua 1300 OC, er ei fod yn debygol o fod yn llawer cynharach. Byddai Arglwyddi Cymreig Cwmwd y Creuddyn, yr oedd Llanfihangel yn ganolfan weinyddol iddo gyda’r llys a’r pentref caethiwed tebygol, yn sicr wedi bod ag eglwys yma ac mae Brut y Tywysogion yn nodi bod Gwenllian, merch Maelgwn Ieuanc. (Fychan), bu farw yn llys ei thad neu’r Llys yn Llanfihangel Gelynrhod (enw hŷn ar yr anheddiad) yn 1254. |
| The scale of the Church demonstrates the importance and centrality of Llanfihangel within the Commote of Creuddyn in the medieval period. Today this small, quiet village still has five roads leading to it, with the church tower remaining a prominent landmark. | Mae maint yr Eglwys yn dangos pwysigrwydd a chanolog Llanfihangel o fewn Cwmwd Creuddyn yn y cyfnod canoloesol. Heddiw mae gan y pentref bychan, tawel hwn bum ffordd yn arwain ato o hyd, gyda thŵr yr eglwys yn dal i fod yn dirnod amlwg. |
| In a church that has been standing for many centuries, there is evidence of much refurbishment. | Mewn eglwys sydd wedi bod yn sefyll ers canrifoedd lawer, mae tystiolaeth o lawer o waith adnewyddu. |
| Using oaks felled between 1502 and 1538, fashionable and expensive wagon rooves were installed by craftsmen in the nave and transepts, and three new floors were fitted in the church tower. At the top of the tower, a bell-frame to hold three bells was installed in 1537-8. | Gan ddefnyddio coed derw a gwympwyd rhwng 1502 a 1538, gosodwyd toeau wagenni ffasiynol a drud gan grefftwyr yng nghorff yr eglwys a’r transeptau, a gosodwyd tri llawr newydd yn nhŵr yr eglwys. Ar ben y tŵr, gosodwyd ffrâm gloch i ddal tair cloch ym 1537-8. |
| In recent centuries, St Michael’s became the church for the wider parish of Llanfihangel y Creuddyn, and the village we see today was established. | Yn ystod y canrifoedd diwethaf, daeth Sant Mihangel yn eglwys ar gyfer plwyf ehangach Llanfihangel y Creuddyn, a sefydlwyd y pentref a welwn heddiw. |
| During this period, there have been several phases of repairs, alterations and refurbishments to the church. This has included the addition of the porch and vestry, the installation of a new floor and heating system, the fitting of the pitch-pine pews and the addition of the spire to the tower. In 1928 a new burial ground for the church was also established on the edge of the village. It was prepared by villagers and consecrated by the Lord Bishop of St David’s on 16 October 1928. | Yn ystod y cyfnod hwn, bu sawl cam o atgyweirio, addasu ac adnewyddu’r eglwys. Mae hyn wedi cynnwys ychwanegu’r porth a’r festri, gosod llawr a system wresogi newydd, gosod y seddau pinwydd traw ac ychwanegu’r meindwr i’r tŵr. Ym 1928 hefyd sefydlwyd man claddu newydd ar gyfer yr eglwys ar gyrion y pentref. Fe’i paratowyd gan y pentrefwyr a’i chysegru gan Arglwydd Esgob Tyddewi ar 16 Hydref 1928. |
| Today St Michael’s is protected as a Grade II* Listed Building, a rare example of a largely unaltered Welsh medieval church. | Heddiw mae Eglwys Sant Mihangel wedi’i diogelu fel Adeilad Rhestredig Gradd II*, enghraifft brin o eglwys ganoloesol Gymreig sydd heb ei newid i raddau helaeth. |
Gwybod mwy – find out more
Ymweld â’r ardal Hanes yn yr eglwys neu – visit the History area in the church or:.
RCAHMW: https://coflein.gov.uk/en/site/105145/
Cadw Listed Building Description. https://cadwpublic-api.azurewebsites.net/reports/listedbuilding/FullReport?lang=&id=9850
Dyfed Archaeological Trust: https://www.dyfedarchaeology.org.uk/wp/discovery/projects/churches/st-michael-llanfihangel-y-creuddyn-ceredigion/
The village of Llanfihangel y Creuddyn, looking west to Cardigan Bay, January 2022 (Crown copyright. RCAHMW)
St Michael‘s Church sits within a circular graveyard, possible evidence of its early medieval foundation. The largest yew tree in the graveyard is thought to be at least 700 years old (Copyright: Iestyn Leyshon)
Nave wagon roof (Crown copyright. RCAHMW)
Bell-frame at the top of the tower installed in 1537-38 (Crown copyright. RCAHMW)
Numbers on bell-frame to aid assembly (Crown copyright. RCAHMW)
Church Fonts, old and new (Crown copyright. RCAHMW)
Repairs underway in Summer 1898. Local newspapers reported that ‘the tower was in imminent danger of falling, owing to a large crack in the top of it’
In 1928 a new burial ground for the church was established on the edge of the village. It was prepared by villagers and consecrated by the Lord Bishop of St David’s on 16 October 1928.
The Church History Area in the South Transept
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Eglwys Llanfihangel y Creuddyn 