St Mary's Church, Llanfair-yng-Nghornwy
| St Mary's Church, Llanfair-yng-Nghornwy | |
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The church from the south-west
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 St Mary's Church, Llanfair-yng-Nghornwy
Location in Anglesey
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| Coordinates: 53°23′17″N 4°31′01″W / 53.388096°N 4.517068°W | |
| OS grid reference | SH 327 908 |
| Location | Llanfair-yng-Nghornwy, Anglesey |
| Country | Wales, United Kingdom |
| Denomination | Church in Wales |
| History | |
| Founded | 11th or 12th century |
| Dedication | St Mary |
| Architecture | |
| Status | Parish church |
| Functional status | Active |
| Heritage designation | Grade I |
| Designated | 12 May 1970 |
| Architect(s) | Weightman and Hadfield, Sheffield (1847 restoration) Harold Hughes (1931 repairs) |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Style | Medieval with Perpendicular details |
| Specifications | |
| Length | Nave: 27 ft 9 in (8.5 m) |
| Nave width | 13 ft 8 in (4.2 m) |
| Other dimensions | Chancel: 32 ft 6 in by 14 ft (9.9 by 4.3 m) South chapel: 32 ft 6 in by 14 ft 6 in (9.9 by 4.4 m) |
| Materials | Rubble masonry dressed with freestone; 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 |
St Mary's Church, Llanfair-yng-Nghornwy is a medieval parish church in the north-west of Anglesey, north Wales. The date of foundation of the church, which is in the village of Llanfair-yng-Nghornwy, is unknown, but the oldest parts date from the 11th or 12th century. It has twice been enlarged: in the 15th century, when the chancel was rebuilt, and in the 16th century, when a chapel was added to the south of the chancel, separated by three arches. The tower at the west end is from the 17th century. A south porch of unknown date has been converted into a vestry, and the church is now entered through the tower.
St Mary's is a Grade I listed building, a national designation given to buildings of "exceptional, usually national, interest", in particular because it is regarded as "a fine rural parish church, incorporating significant early Medieval fabric". Writers in the 19th century commented on the "lofty square tower", the "very good" east window, and the "many elegant monuments"; the clergyman and antiquarian Harry Longueville Jones called St Mary's "one of the best specimens of an old parish church in the island". In the 21st century, one writer has noted the "impressive lychgate" and a guide to the buildings of the region calls it "the most important church in north west Anglesey".
The church is still used for worship by the Church in Wales, one of nine in a combined parish, although as of 2013 there has not been an incumbent priest since September 2009. People associated with the church include James Williams, a 19th-century rector who was awarded a gold medal for his efforts to save lives at sea, and his great-grandson, the artist Sir Kyffin Williams. Both are buried in the churchyard.
St Mary's Church is the parish church for the village of Llanfair-yng-Nghornwy in the north-west of Anglesey, north Wales. It is set in a churchyard at the side of a minor road, in the south-east of the village. The area is near the coast, about 8 miles (13 km) from the port town of Holyhead. Llanfair-yng-Nghornwy takes its name in part from the church: the Welsh word llan originally meant "enclosure" and then "church", and "‑fair" is a modified form of the saint's name (Mair being Welsh for "Mary"). The parish’s coastal position is reflected in its full name, which means "St Mary's in the promontory", or "St Mary in the angle of the waters".
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