Church of St Mary - St Mary Church, Vale of Glamorgan, Wales.
N 51° 26.056 W 003° 26.296
30U E 469535 N 5698209
The village of St Mary Church (Llanfair) is named after the parish Church which dominates the centre of the Village. The Norman Church originally built in the 13th century, has been a site of worship for over 800 years.
Waymark Code: WMK3QA
Location: South Wales, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 02/08/2014
Views: 1
The Medieval Church of St. Mary, is located in an overgrown spinney, at the centre this tiny village.
The impressive tower has four bells, which await restoration.
"The Church's medieval origin is evidenced by the Norman door and the font and by the fact that in the churchyard there is a calvary of three steps surmounted by the socket stone of a medieval Latin cross. The Church has an unusual chancel because it weeps to the south, whereas normally weeping chancels angle towards the north.
The fact that the Church is dedicated to Mary (Mair in Welsh) confirms that the Church was built by the Normans following their successful conquest of large parts of South Wales in the 11th and 12th centuries. Other Vale villages and their churches, such as St Athan, were named after the Irish saints (Tathan) who first brought Christianity to the area around the 5th and 6th centuries AD. Other local churches were dedicated to the Welsh saints such as St. Docco or Dochau (Llandough) or St Illtyd (Llantwit Major). It is likely that the Norman Church replaced an earlier Celtic foundation." text Source: (
visit link)
The church is open for Visitors and Prayer, during daylight hours.
Visit Instructions:1) A photo of the church is required for visits to a waymark.
2) Please share some comments about your visit.
3) Additional photos are encouraged. If you can have information in addition to that already provided about this church, please share it with us.