Church of St Mary

Cadw's description

Location

Located in a prominent position in the small village of Llanllugan within a roughly circular churchyard.

History

St. Mary of Llanllugan was originally a nunnery church, part of the only pre-reformation nunnery in N Wales which was founded c1200. The church is almost entirely C15, but blocked doorways on the S and N sides may have led to the cloisters and conventual buildings. A wooden plaque inside the church states that £25 was awarded for reseating and restoring the church in 1873.

Exterior

Undivided chancel and nave, S porch, W bellcote. Early Perpendicular. Random masonry under a partially new slate roof with evidence of rebuilding, particularly on the N and E sides. The S elevation has 3 square, Perpendicular windows under flat heads, 2 to the nave and 1 to the chancel, all containing 2 lights with trefoiled heads. The chancel window head is slightly splayed . The S elevation of the chancel contains a blocked doorway under an elliptical, chamfered stone lintel, which may have led to the cloisters. The S porch has a steeply pitched roof and a segmental-arched entrance. The planked S door is also under a segmental-arched head and has 2 orders of cavetto mouldings. Small cusped N window within a blocking to a former N door which had a pointed arch with long narrow voussoirs. To its W are some protruding stones suggesting the presence of a former porch. The Perpendicular E window is slightly off centre with panel tracery in 3 lights with cinquefoiled arched heads and smaller lights above. All the windows have ferramenta. The W bellcote is very simple and consists of a projection of the roof line supported by curved, raked struts.

Interior

Medieval roof structure with some alterations. Arched collar beams with raked, cusped struts and 2 tiers of short, cusped wind braces. Some trusses have a tie beam at wall plate level. Stained glass in E window depicting a crucifixion, a king, an abbess and a Latin inscription. Said to be C15 but reassembled in 1891. C19 wall memorials. Small circular font c 1200, perhaps once decorated, on a modern hexagonal base and square plinth.

Reason for designation

Listed as a well-preserved small rural church, retaining its C15 character virtually intact. It was originally the church of the only pre-reformation nunnery in North Wales and is thus of significant historical interest.