St Donats - Wayside Shrine - Wales, Great Britain. - Wayside shrines on Waymarking.com

I found out after my visit to St Donants Church, that there are two Calvary crosses, in this churchyard. One being a late 19th Century standing cross and the other a Wayside Shrine dating back to the 15th century.

As can be seen from the photos in my listing, the shrine has suffered due to the weather for over 600 years.

" A calvary (calvaire in French) is a type of monumental public crucifix, sometimes encased in an open shrine, most commonly found across northern France from Brittany east and through Belgium and equally familiar as wayside structures provided with minimal sheltering roofs in Italy and Spain. The Breton calvaire is distinguished from a simple crucifix cross by the inclusion of three-dimensional figures surrounding the Crucifixion itself, typically representing Mary and the apostles of Jesus, though later saints and symbolic figures may also be depicted.

In northern France and Belgium, such wayside calvaries erected at the junction of routes and tracks "function both as navigation devices and objects of veneration", Nicholas J. Saunders has observed "Since medieval times they have fixed the landscape, symbolically acquiring it for the Christian faith, in the same way that, previously, Megalithic monuments marked prehistoric landscapes according to presumed religious and ideological imperatives". Text source:
(visit link)

"The village and parish church are named after the 6th century saint, Dunwyd, The church lies in the shadow of the medieval castle which shares its name, itself a very historic building. St Donats church is believed to date back to circa 1100, and it was extended and rebuilt circa 1300 with some further extensions in the 15th Century. The 16th Century Lady Chapel, converted to the Stradling Chapel in late 16th Century, contains tombs and sculptured memorials of the Stradling family. The Stradlings were an important and powerful family in the area, having owned the castle.

Two Calvary crosses stand in the churchyard, one being late 19th Century and the other dating back to the 15th century. The church contains a number of Norman features, including a Norman font, and is distinguished by its Victorian stained glass. It is a Grade I listed building". Text Source: (visit link)

"St. Donat’s Church which stands under the shadow of the castle (now the base for Atlantic College); it was built about 1100, soon after the Norman Conquest of Glamorgan. It is believed that it stands on the site of an older Celtic church and tradition has it that Caractacus had a stronghold here. The church was enlarged about 1300 and later restoration work completed in 1878. The dedication is to St.Donat, a Celtic Christian who became Bishop of Fiesole near Florence who became the patron saint of sailors". (visit link)

Street address of Church:
St. Donat’s Church
St Donants Castle.
Llantwit Major, Vale of Glamorgan Wales
CF61 1FW

Year of creation: 1450/1/1 Material: Stone Your rating:

Visit Instructions:
Post at least one (own made) photograph of this wayside shrine.

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Date Logged Log User Rating   01/08/2013 veritas vita visited it