St John the Baptist - Church in Wales - Aberdare, Cynnon Valley, Wales.
N 51° 42.824 W 003° 26.940
30U E 468979 N 5729294
St John the Baptist Church was built in 1189, as a Chapel of Ease for monks from Margam Abbey. The Church of St John is in the benefice of Aberdare, In the Church in Wales Diocese of Llandaff.
Waymark Code: WMKFYV
Location: South Wales, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 04/09/2014
Views: 1
St John's Church - Church in Wales denomination, was built in the latter part of the 12th Century, as a Chapel of Ease for monks from Margam Abbey. Now known as the original Parish Church. Set in an oval churchyard on the western edge of the town centre. Aberdare, Cynnon Valley, South Wales.
The Church in Wales is made up of over 900 parishes. If you live in Wales, you will live in a parish. Parishes may possess one or more churches, there are three churches Parish benefice of Aberdare.
Many of the old grave headstones have been moved and displayed around the church boundary walls. There must have been thousands of burials in this churchyard, before the 17th Century and the advent of headstones. If you think of just 5 burials a year, multiplied by 800 years, that will mean at least 4,000 graves.
"St John's Church is the original Parish Church of Aberdare. The exact date of the construction of the church is unknown, but strong evidence points to its construction in the last quarter of the Twelfth Century. The year 1189 is the commonly accepted date of its construction, making the Church the oldest building in Aberdare by some 600 years.
The Church as it stands today has not been radically altered from the original medieval building. Of course, in its 800 year history there have inevitably been some alterations. Originally there was probably not a separate Chancel and the Bell-Gable and West Door were added at a later date. A number of original architectural features do remain, most notably the Sutton Stone doorway in the Vestry, which would have been the original entrance, and the Font, which is octagonal in shape and also carved of Sutton Stone." Text Source: (
visit link)
Street address:
St John's the Baptist Church.
Green Fach, Aberdare, Cynon Valley, CF44 0SG, Wales, UK.
More info and timeline : (
visit link)