Abbeys & priories · North Wales
Bardsey Abbey
Bardsey Abbey — Grade I listed abbey in the United Kingdom.
Wikimedia Commons contributors — see linked file page for photographer and licence licence
Plan your visit
- Typical visit
- 45 min–1.5 h
- Family-friendly
- Limited wheelchair access
About
Bardsey Abbey is an abbey, priory, or monastic site in the United Kingdom. Records date its origin to AD 500. Heritage designation: scheduled monument. Wikidata describes it as: "Grade I listed abbey in the United Kingdom". Coordinates: 52.7643°, -4.7877°.
Photo gallery
Heritage listing
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.
From Cadw under OGL v3.
From the Wikipedia article
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.
Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.
Background
History
Saint 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. Dubricius, Archbishop of Caerleon, who had resigned in favour of Saint David, retired to Bardsey. It became a centre of the Culdee order, an ascetic Christian order that originated in Ireland. It was mentioned by Gerald of Wales in Itinerarium Cambriae as a community of "very religious monks". By the High Middle Ages the island was reputedly the burial place of some 20,000 saints. It became one of…
Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Coordinates
- 52.7643, -4.7877
- District
- Gwynedd
- Parish
- Aberdaron
- Postcode
- LL53 8DE
- Parliamentary constituency
- Dwyfor Meirionnydd
Sources
- wikidata: Q13125318 (CC0)
- wikipedia: St Mary's Abbey ruins, Bardsey Island (CC BY-SA 4.0)
- commons: Bardsey Island - St Mary's Abbey - 1040708 699ae9d1.jpg (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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Frequently asked questions
- Where is Bardsey Abbey?
- Bardsey Abbey is in North Wales, United Kingdom (postcode LL53 8DE), in the parish of Aberdaron.
- When was Bardsey Abbey built?
- Dates from the Anglo-Saxon period.
- Who owns Bardsey Abbey?
- Bardsey Abbey is owned by Privately owned.
- Is Bardsey Abbey a listed building?
- Bardsey Abbey is officially recognised as scheduled monument listed.
- How do I get to Bardsey Abbey?
- Drivers can navigate to postcode LL53 8DE. It sits within the Dwyfor Meirionnydd parliamentary constituency.