St Cybi's Church, Llangybi, Monmouthshire

The church is dedicated to St Cybi, a 6th-century Cornish saint who is reputed to have founded the church. The present church dates from either the 13th or the 14th century.[1] The church was refurbished in the early 18th century and then restored in the early 20th century by W H Dashwood Caple.[1] The wall paintings are medieval and include The Creed and a depiction of Christ of the Trades.[2] Whitewashed over for centuries, they are now fully restored, as part of an extensive restoration of the church.[3]

Adam of Usk, the 15th-century priest and chronicler, was the incumbent of the parish in 1423.[1]

The churchyard is the site of the grave of the victims of a Spanish sailor,[4] Josef Garcia, who was convicted and hanged for the murder of five members of the Watkins family, resident in the village, in a notorious 19th century murder case.[5]

Just outside the churchyard, are the remains of a Holy well, also dedicated to St Cybi.[6] Recent scholarship suggests that the well, and the White Hart Inn in the village, were referenced by T.S. Eliot in his poem Usk.[7] The relevant lines read:

"Do not suddenly break the branch, or

Hope to find

The white hart behind the white well."

The style of the building is Perpendicular.[8] The West Tower is two-storeyed and without buttresses.[8] The medieval roof of the nave has been exposed during current renovations.[9] Simon Jenkins described the early 20th century restoration of the interior as "masterly" and attributes it to W. D. Caröe.[10] In addition to the medieval wall painting, the interior has a number of 17th century painted inscriptions.[8] It also has some funerary monuments, including one dedicated to John Morgan, and dated 1805, by Tyley of Bristol. The monument depicts a woman crying over an urn under a spreading weeping willow. Opinions differ as to its quality; the Cadw record describes it as "good",[1] while Newman considers it "hackneyed."[8] Newman takes a more positive view of the church overall, considering it "one of the most interesting in the Usk Valley".[8] The pulpit is a reconstructed example from the 18th century, with an associated sounding board to amplify the preacher's voice.[1] The pews are of the 19th century, and the now-refurbished organ dates from 1933.[1]

• Breverton, Terry (2013). Wales' 1000 Best Heritage Sites. ISBN 9781445620138.
• Jenkins, Simon (2008). Wales: Churches, Houses, Castles. London: Penguin. ISBN 978-0-713-99893-1.
• Newman, John (2000). Gwent/Monmouthshire. The Buildings of Wales. London: Penguin. ISBN 0-14-071053-1.