St Baglan Medieval Church - Ruins - Port Talbot, Wales.
N 51° 36.932 W 003° 48.102
30U E 444493 N 5718582
The Medieval Church of Saint Baglan - Was destroyed by fire in 1954. The shell of the Church now in ruin, lies on a steep wooded hillside within the protective boundary of St Catherin's Churchyard, Baglan, South Wales.
Waymark Code: WMRZK8
Location: South Wales, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 08/29/2016
Views: 2
The old medieval Church was dedicated to Saint Baglan who was a disciple of Saint Illtyd. The Church ruin stands on a heavily wooded, steep incline. The grass around the church is mowed & the trees have been cleared away. The church must have at one time been surrounded with graves, but now the headstones are placed against the church walls, & they also form the boundary walls.
The ruins of St Baglan's Medieval Church is scheduled monument, preserved & protected by law.
"Baglan is a village in Wales. The village is named after Saint Baglan (earliest reference is to 'Bagelan' and dates from 1199).
Baglan is also the name of a community which is coterminous with the village and an electoral ward, in the administrative region of Neath Port Talbot county borough. Baglan is located on the side of a steep hill and is surrounded by two main hills, Mynydd-y-Gaer (to the north) and Mynydd Dinas (to the east). The moors and Baglan Bay are to the SW.
The village contains a number of historical buildings such as Baglan House, St. Catharine's Church, and St. Baglan's Church. The first St. Baglan's Church is now a shell after a fire in 1954. The earliest evidence of settlement here dates back to the Bronze Age with there being a tumulus called Twyn Disgwylfa on Mynydd Dinas and a round barrow within the hillfort of Buarth-y-Gaer. There are also Iron Age hillforts on the surrounding hill called Mynydd-y-Gaer.
Later, a Dark Age (Early Christian period) church was founded here, as can be seen from a few local Early Christian stones, especially the Cross of Brancuf (dated 9th - 10th century) which is in the vestry of St Catherine's church. The inscription on the Cross of Brancuf could be a dedication to Brancuf (the name Brancuf is preceded by a simple Latin cross in any case). According to tradition the church was founded by the aforementioned St Baglan.
In the medieval period, the church (dedicated to St Baglan) was rebuilt seemingly on the same site. The church burnt down in 1954 although ruins still exist at the top of the churchyard of St Catharine's church." Text Sources: (
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