St. Cadoc's Medieval Church is open daily to visitors during daylight hours.
"There was in increase in bell-ringing in Llancarfan in 1991. Ringing and practising took place
on an intermittent basis through 1992, until May 1993, when it became obvious that the bell
frame and tower was no longer safe for ringing.
Acting on the advice of Mr. Hughes, Whitechapel Bell Foundry, we ceased to ring fromMay
1993. Under the direction of Mr. Jim Goodfellow, Llandaff, the bells were adapted for chiming
in September 1993, and continued to be chimed until June 21st 1999 when they were removed
and taken to Whitechapel Bell Foundry, London, to be re-cast from a four, to a ring of six." Text Source: (
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"On February 13th 2001, a group of bellringers visited St Cadoc's to ring the first full peal since the bells were recast in 2000." Text Source: (
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The Church is said to be the site of the most exciting discovery of British Medieval wall paintings of the 21st Century.
"Built on the site of a 7th century monastery and founded around 1200, St Cadoc's in Llancarfan, Vale of Glamorgan is, from the outside, just another beautiful small Welsh village church.
But inside, conservators have uncovered some stunning 15th century wall paintings to the delight of locals, visitors and experts alike.
After the discovery of a thin red line of paint on the wall, a team of experts were brought in to investigate what else was lurking behind the 20 layers of limewash added over five centuries.
Now, after five years of restoration work, the church is revealing its treasures: startlingly bold images of the seven deadly sins, a royal family, a ghoulish death figure - and what has been described as one of the largest and most spectacular tableaux of St George and the Dragon ever seen in a British church." Text source: (
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"The Vale of Glamorgan was an important centre of Christianity in Britain. There was a monastery here from at least 650 AD, founded by St. Cadoc or Cadog. By the 9th century Llancarfan was a flourishing centre of learning, with the main monastic buildings just south of today's church, in Culvery Fields.
Despite destruction by the Danes, Llancarfan monastery proved 'the most powerful ecclesiastical community in Glamorgan'. It did not, however, survive the Norman invasion, and after this early dissolution, responsibility passed to the Abbey of St. Peter's, Gloucester. St. Cadoc retained his presence in the parish church, where our simple chancel arch suggests a foundation of about 1200.
The next 800 years have seen our distinctively-shaped church serving its community, and surviving the traumas of reformation and restoration. A Baptist and a Wesleyan Methodist Chapel nearby have come and gone, but St. Cadoc's continues to refocus its role across the parish, reaching out to share its cultural and spiritual relevance to visitors, villagers, and all who treasure the heritage that shaped our history." Text Source: (
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