St Mellons Church

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

St Mellons Parish Church is a Church in Wales parish church in Old St Mellons, Cardiff, Wales, within the Diocese of Monmouth. It dates from around the 13th century and is a Grade I listed building, notable for keeping much of its medieval character. The exact date of construction isn’t known, but the church first appears in records in 1254. It is thought to have been built by the Normans during their conquest and dedicated to St Mellonius, a 4th‑century bishop said to be born in the area.

Very little of the original material survives in the current building. Only the base of a high cross in the churchyard and the base of the baptismal font (made from parts of a Norman pier) remain from the earliest church. The church is believed to have been rebuilt in the 14th century, as seen in the tower’s architecture and the design of the stained glass.

During the 19th century, restorations were carried out to preserve its medieval look. The main restoration (1858–9) was by George Gilbert Scott, funded by Edward Augustus Freeman of Llanrumney Hall. Around 1869 more work was done by Charles Buckeridge. The chancel was restored in 1875 by Ewan Christian, and the tower was restored in 1910.

St Mellons Parish Church was designated Grade I listed in 1963 because it retains most of its medieval fabric. The base of the cross in the churchyard was given Grade II status in 1977 as part of a group of listed churchyard monuments. The church remains active today as part of the Church in Wales.