St Tewdric's Church
| St Tewdric's Church | |
|---|---|
| Church of St Tewdric | |
Roman Catholic Church of England | |
| History | |
| Status | active |
| Founder(s) | Meurig ap Tewdrig |
| Dedication | St Tewdric |
| Cult(s) present | King Tewdrig |
| Architecture | |
| Heritage designation | Grade I |
| Designated | 1955 |
| Years built | 6th century 13th century 15th century 19th century |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | Diocese of Monmouth |
| Parish | Mathern |
St Tewdric's Church is a
Foundation
According to the
Mediaeval history
Following the
Discovery of the coffin, and Victorian restoration
A stone coffin, thought to contain the remains of Tewdrig, was first discovered when Francis Godwin was bishop in 1614; at that time it was moved to the chancel. An urn containing the heart of another bishop, Miles Salley, was unearthed and reburied at the same time.[1][3]
In the 1880s, the Church of England ordered a renovation of the church. John Prichard restored part of the church for £2,500. Ewan Christian later restored the chancel while rebuilding the south wall of the church and reroofing.[2] During the renovation, the stone coffin was rediscovered under the altar, with a skeleton with the skull split by an axe blow, in the same way that Tewdrig supposedly died.[5] However historian Fred Hando claims from an eye-witness account that the skull only had a hole from a spear in it rather than an axe split.[6] The remains were reinterred afterwards.[5] On the wall of the chancel is a late 18th-century inscription noting that Tewdrig (Theodoric) is interred in the church, with an addendum noting the rediscovery of the coffin in 1881.[3]
Fixtures
Following restorations, the church now has no visible elements of the original Celtic church. The oldest parts of the church are the arcades of the nave and the arch over the chancel.[2] In 1943, the original medieval font was rediscovered buried underneath the porch and reinstalled for use in the church.[7] The church was granted Grade I listed status in 1955 for being "...a very fine medieval church with interesting Victorian alterations, and for its historic connection with the Bishops of Llandaff and their nearby Mathern Palace."[2]
Gallery
-
Tower from south west -
Tower from porch -
Tower with sundial -
Porch -
From the north -
From the north east
References
- ^ a b c d Davies, E. T. (1950). A History of the Parish of Mathern. Chepstow Society.
- ^ National Historic Assets of Wales. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
- ^ ISBN 0-9520009-4-6.
- ^ ISBN 0-14-071053-1.
- ^ a b "Mathern, St Tewdric". Church in Wales. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
- ^ Hando, F. J., (1958) "Out and About in Monmouthshire", R. H. Johns, Newport.
- ^ "NOW AND THEN: St Tewdrics Church in Mathern". South Wales Argus. 18 September 2012. Retrieved 7 April 2016.