St Govan's Chapel

St Govan's Chapel is a chapel located at St Govan's Head, Pembrokeshire in south west Wales.

St Govan's Chapel
Religion
AffiliationChristianity
PatronSt Govan
Location
LocationSt Govan's Head, Pembrokeshire, Wales
St Govan's Chapel is located in Pembrokeshire
St Govan's Chapel
Shown within Pembrokeshire
Geographic coordinates51.5987°N 4.9368°W / 51.5987; -4.9368
Architecture
Completed13th century
Listed Building – Grade I
Official name: St. Govan's Chapel
Designated8 February 1996
Reference no.17980[1]
Engraving of St Govan's Chapel (1810)

Built into the side of a limestone cliff, the building measures 20 by 12 feet (6.1 m × 3.7 m) with walls constructed from limestone, and consists of two chambers, one in the front and one in the back.[2] The majority of the chapel was built in the thirteenth century, although parts of it may date back further to the sixth century when Saint Govan, a monk moved into a cave located on the site of the chapel. One legend suggests that Saint Govan is buried underneath the chapel's altar, located at the east end of the building.[3] The entrance to the building is via a doorway on the north side, low stone benches run along the north and south walls and an empty bell-cote is located at the west end.[4] The slate roof is suspected to be a modern addition compared to the rest of the building.[4]

The building is accessible from the clifftop by climbing down a set of 52 steps,[5] although tourist organisations propagate the legend that when counted, the number of steps differs between going down and going back up.[6]

The building was listed with Grade I status on 8 February 1996. The chapel is within the Castlemartin Military Training Area and is sometimes inaccessible because of military activity.[7]

The chapel was used as a location in episode 1 of the third series of the BBC drama His Dark Materials.

Ogof Gofan

Under the chapel is a huge cave system, Ogof Gofan, containing a "cathedral-like structure", accessible only by abseiling down the cliff. The cave was re-discovered in 1966, but it had been used by people for thousands of years, from when the sea was miles from the cave mouth.[8]

References
  1. Cadw. "St. Govan's Chapel (Grade I) (17980)". National Historic Assets of Wales. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
  2. Britton, John; Brayley, Edward Wedlake (1815). The Beauties of England and Wales, or, Delineations, topographical, historical, and descriptive, of each county, Volume 18. p. 805.
  3. "St Govan's Chapel". Archived from the original on 28 September 2013.
  4. "St Govan's Chapel (95059)". Coflein. RCAHMW.
  5. An Inventory of the Ancient Monuments of Wales and Monmouthshire: VII – Country of Pembroke. His Majesty's Stationery Office. 1925. p. 21.
  6. "St. Govan's Head – Walk 6" (PDF). Pembrokeshire Coast National Park.
  7. "Castlemartin firing notice February 2022". Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom). 2 March 2022. Archived from the original on 8 March 2022. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
  8. Owens, David (16 February 2019). "The hidden cave beneath one of Wales' most popular coastal walks". WalesOnline.
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