Llanbadrig Church

A medieval church can be found in the Welsh village of Llanbadrig called St. Padrig's Church. The structure had restorations in the 19th century and is most likely from the 12th century. On December 5, 1970, it was given the grade II* designation as a listed building.

According to legend, Pope Celestine I dispatched Saint Patrick to Ireland in the fifth century with the aim of converting the natives to Christianity. A half-mile off the northern coast of Anglesey's island of Middle Mouse (Ynys Badrig), he was shipwrecked there upon his return. He took refuge in a cave nearby, and when he eventually reached Anglesey's mainland, he erected a cathedral atop the surrounding cliffs as a sign of gratitude for his rescue. The current stone construction may have started in the twelfth century, and the font has also been dated to that time period, although nothing of this wooden structure is still there.

When the Norwich Taxation, an estimate of clergy property performed for taxation purposes, was published in 1254, the church already existed. The nave and the chancel were constructed separately, the former most likely in the twelfth or thirteenth century and the latter later. The early fourteenth century is possible for the chancel arch. The east window in the chancel is most likely from the sixteenth century, although the other windows were probably reglazed in 1812, 1840, or 1884, when more extensive restoration work was carried out.

Location: Cemaes, Anglesey