Capel Lligwy

The oldest parts of Capel Lligwy date from the first half of the 12th century. This was a time when many churches on Anglesey in north-west Wales were first built in stone following the end of Viking raids and attempts by the Normans to gain control of the island. The reason for its construction, and the saint to whom it was dedicated, are unknown. Geraint Jones, author of a 2006 guide to the churches of Anglesey, suggests that it may originally have been a memorial chapel, or connected to a royal court nearby. Yates and Longley, authors of a 2001 guide to ancient Anglesey monuments, note that it was built in the large parish of Penrhos Lligwy and was perhaps intended to serving the…

Capel Lligwy is built from rubble masonry; at about 5 ft up the walls, the style changes and smaller stones are inserted into spaces between the larger blocks, showing where the 14th-century rebuilding started. There is a blocked window in the south wall of the south chapel. The vault, which is about 27 sqft, is reached by stone steps from inside the south chapel. A stone in the nave, about 2 sqft with a hole in the top, might once have been used as a churchyard cross.