The medieval Church of St Cennydd - is the largest church on the Gower Peninsula. Located in Llangennith, Swansea, South Wales.
"The huge saddle-backed tower contains four bells, one of which is cracked and cannot be rung. During restoration work on the tower in 1888, some holes in the wall were preserved. These holes are from the 'Mabsant' or Saint Day tradition, whereby parishioners attached a decorated cock to the tower for a 3 day celebration of St. Cennydd - these holes are still visible today." Text Source: (
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The church is open for visitors during daylight hours, in the summer. The key to the church is available at P.J. Surf shop all year. Otherwise telephone: 01792 - 386308, or 386391.
"St. Cenydd was the original Gower boy who made good. Legend has it he was born in the sixth century with a withered leg, cast adrift in a basket on the Loughor estuary, rescued by gulls and reared by angels. Our local boy grew up to found St. Cenydd's priory which accounts for the present building being the largest parish church in Gower.
The Danes burnt it, but our church survives, dominated by its massive 13th century stone tower with saddleback roof. Now wall-mounted inside, a carved slab is reputed to have marked the grave of the saint. Also see the effigy of a De La Mare knight ('the Dolly Mare'). Folk singer Phil Tanner lies in the churchyard.
On a nice day visit Burry Holmes at the north end of Rhossili bay where we commemorate St. Cenydd's day each summer on the site of a wooden Celtic church oratory, the only one found in Wales." Text Source: (
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"The parish church of St Cenydd now occupies the former priory site and was probably the monks' chapel. The earliest surviving fabric dates from the twelfth century and includes the east wall of the tower; most remnants are from the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries.
Dedicated to: St Cenydd Medieval Diocese: St David's
Affiliated to: St Taurinus, Evreux, Normandy (mother-house)
Lordship at foundation: Glamorgan
Access: Public access to the parish church of St Cenydd
Owned by: Representative Body of the Church in Wales
Main events in the history of this site
pre 1123: Foundation - Llangennith was an alien priory established before 1123 when the church of St Cenydd was granted to the monks of St Taurinus, Normandy.
1195: Confirmation - Richard I (1189-99) confirmed all the priory’s previous grants.
1218: Size of community - At this time there were two or three monks at Llangennith.
pre 1223: Illicit affairs - According to Gerald of Wales, a prior of Llangennith brought shame upon the house when he engaged in an illicit affair with a young woman of Gower.
1291: Wealth - According to Pope Nicholas IV's Taxatio Ecclesiastica, Llangennith’s temporalities were assessed at £4 16s and the community had 120 acres of arable land and six cows. ]
1295x1360: Custody - Following the outbreak of war with France, Llangennith was periodically taken into royal custody
1377: Poll tax - Only the prior of the house is listed on the poll tax return.
1413x1421: Custody - The house was seized again during Henry V's reign and taken into royal custody.
c.1434: Custody - By 1434 Llangennith's links with St Taurinus had been severed.
1441: Dissolution - On 16 March 1441 Archbishop Chichele and his colleagues surrendered the house to Henry VI.
1442: Post monastic ownership - On 5 February Archbishop Chichele and his colleagues granted Llangennith and St Clears to the king who duly granted them to the Oxford colleges of Warden and All Souls." Text source: (
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