St Cynfarwy's Church, Llechgynfarwy
| St Cynfarwy's Church | |
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The church seen from the north-west
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 St Cynfarwy's Church
Location in Anglesey
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| 53°18′07″N 4°25′51″W / 53.30196°N 4.43080°WCoordinates: 53°18′07″N 4°25′51″W / 53.30196°N 4.43080°W | |
| OS grid reference | SH 381 810 |
| Location | Llechgynfarwy, Anglesey |
| Country | Wales, United Kingdom |
| Denomination | Church in Wales |
| History | |
| Founded | c. 630 |
| Founder(s) | St Cynfarwy |
| Dedication | St Cynfarwy |
| Architecture | |
| Status | Parish church |
| Functional status | Active |
| Heritage designation | Grade II |
| Designated | 12 May 1970 |
| Architect(s) | Kennedy & O'Donoghue (1867 rebuilding) |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Style | Early Decorated |
| Specifications | |
| Length | 40 ft 3 in (12.3 m) |
| Width | 16 ft 9 in (5.1 m) |
| Materials | Rubble masonry, slate roof |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Bodedern with Llanfaethlu |
| Deanery | Llifon and Talybolion |
| Archdeaconry | Bangor |
| Diocese | Diocese of Bangor |
| Province | Province of Wales |
| Clergy | |
| Vicar(s) | Vacant since September 2009 |
St Cynfarwy's Church is a medieval parish church in Llechgynfarwy, Anglesey, north Wales. The first church in the vicinity was established by St Cynfarwy (a 7th-century saint about whom little is known) in about 630, but no structure from that time survives. The present building contains a 12th-century baptismal font, indicating the presence of a church at that time, although extensive rebuilding in 1867 removed the datable features of the previous edifice.
It is a Grade II listed building, a national designation given to "buildings of special interest, which warrant every effort being made to preserve them", in particular because it is "a simple, rural church of Medieval origins". The church is still used for worship by the Church in Wales, one of nine in a combined parish, although there has not been an incumbent priest since September 2009.
St Cynfarwy's Church is set within a churchyard at the side of the road in the centre of Llechgynfarwy, a hamlet in Anglesey, north Wales. The settlement is in the countryside about 6 miles (10 km) to the north-west of Llangefni, the county town, and about 10 miles (16 km) from the port of Holyhead.
According to the 19th-century Anglesey historian Angharad Llwyd, the first church was established here by St Cynfarwy in about 630. The date of the present structure is uncertain, although one 19th-century historian suggested that it might be from the 15th century. There was a church here before the 15th century, however, since the font is from the 12th century and a church was recorded in this location in the Norwich Taxation of 1254. On 5 November 1349, the possessions of the deceased clergyman who had been the incumbent priest of Llechgynfarwy were dealt with by an inquisition at Beaumaris, Anglesey – one of several dead clergymen whose goods were considered that day. According to the historian Antony Carr, the timing suggests that the priests had been victims of the Black Death, and he notes that "the clergy as a class were hit particularly hard" by it.
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