The ruins of the Abbey of St Mary, stand at the northern end of Bardsey Island, south-west of the Lleyn Peninsula, in Gwynedd, Wales. The site has had religious importance from at least the 6th century when Saint Cadfan founded an abbey there. In the following centuries the island became an important place of pilgrimage and 20,000 saints are reputedly buried on the island. By the end of the Middle Ages the abbey had declined in importance and, following the Dissolution of the monasteries, fell into ruin. In the 18th century, more substantial remains were still standing, but by the 20th only the current remnant of a tower remained. The ruins are a Grade II* listed building and a scheduled monument. Three Celtic crosses set among the ruins are listed at Grade II.
| St Mary's Abbey ruins | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | Abbey |
| Location | Bardsey Island, Aberdaron, Gwynedd, Wales |
| Coordinates | 52°45′51″N 4°47′16″W / 52.7643°N 4.7877°W |
| Built | 11th century onwards |
| Governing body | Privately owned |
Listed Building – Grade I | |
| Official name | Ruin of Abbey of St Mary |
| Designated | 19 October 1971 |
| Reference no. | 4232 |
| Official name | St Mary's Abbey, Bardsey Island |
| Reference no. | CN068 |
Listed Building – Grade II | |
| Official name | Memorial Cross in graveyard centre |
| Designated | 26 June 1998 |
| Reference no. | 20050 |
Listed Building – Grade II | |
| Official name | Memorial Cross in graveyard to south |
| Designated | 26 June 1998 |
| Reference no. | 20051 |
Listed Building – Grade II | |
| Official name | Newborough Cross |
| Designated | 26 June 1998 |
| Reference no. | 20052 |
  Location of St Mary's Abbey ruins in Gwynedd | |
History and description
editSaint Cadfan is reputed to have arrived on the island in the 5th century and the following centuries saw it become a place of high importance as a centre for pilgrimage and as a sanctuary for Christians escaping persecution. St Cadfal is said to have built the first abbey on the St Mary's site.[1] By the High Middle Ages the island was reputedly the burial place of some 20,000 saints.[2] It became one of the three Welsh pilgrimage sites of national importance, and Edward I visited in 1284.[a][3] The Dissolution saw the destruction of the abbey and it subsequently fell into ruins. By the 20th century, only the fragment of one tower remained. Richard Haslam, Julian Orbach and Adam Voelcker, in their 2009 edition Gywnedd, in the Buildings of Wales series, note its setting within an walled enclosure.[2]
The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales records the dimensions of the "two-stage" tower as 5.8m square with 1.0m thick walls and standing 8.0m high.[4] The ruins are a Grade I listed building,[3] and a Scheduled monument.[5] Three Celtic crosses within the abbey grounds are listed at Grade II.[6][7][8]
Footnotes
editReferences
edit- ^ Bagnall, Steve (8 April 2017). "Is Bardsey Island home to remains of 20,000 saints?". North Wales Live. Retrieved 8 September 2024.
- ^ a b Haslam, Orbach & Voelcker 2009, p. 259.
- ^ a b c Cadw. "Ruin of Abbey of St Mary (Grade I) (4232)". National Historic Assets of Wales. Retrieved 8 September 2024.
- ^ "St Mary's Abbey (93544)". Coflein. RCAHMW. Retrieved 8 September 2024.
- ^ Cadw. "St Mary's Abbey (CN068)". National Historic Assets of Wales. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
- ^ Cadw. "Memorial Cross in graveyard centre (Grade II) (20050)". National Historic Assets of Wales. Retrieved 8 September 2024.
- ^ Cadw. "Memorial Cross in graveyard to south (Grade II) (20051)". National Historic Assets of Wales. Retrieved 8 September 2024.
- ^ Cadw. "Newborough Cros (Grade II) (20052)". National Historic Assets of Wales. Retrieved 8 September 2024.
Sources
edit- Haslam, Richard; Orbach, Julian; Voelcker, Adam (2009). Gwynedd. The Buildings of Wales. New Haven, US and London: Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-14169-6. OCLC 1023292902.
External links
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