St. Dyfan and St. Teilo Churchyard in Barry, Vale of Glamorgan

About

Get directions Merthyr Dyfan Road
Barry, Vale of Glamorgan CF62 9TJ Wales

Coordinates: 51.41719, -3.27412
coflein.gov.uk/en/site/14082/details/ss-dyfan-and-teilo-church-merthyr-dyfan-road
Cemetery ID:

Members have Contributed

About these numbers These percentages indicate the number of Find a Grave memorials that have a grave photo or GPS coordinates. We don't know the total number of burials in a cemetery, so we cannot calculate a percentage of those with memorials, photos or GPS coordinates.

Photos

Although the usual modern meaning of the Welsh word merthyr (from the Greek μαρτυς, μαρτυρος "witness") is 'martyr', the word formerly also indicated a martyrium, a martyr's grave or a structure or church erected at such a grave. Similar examples, all in south Wales, are Merthyr Cynog, Merthyr Tydfil, and Merthyr Mawr. Of the Dyfan who presumably inspired the name, nothing seems to be known, although the Iolo Manuscripts collected by Edward Williams have led to his popular conflation with the St Deruvian who was added to the King Lucius legends in the 12th century.

The earliest historic church at the site was credited (and then dedicated) to St Teilo in the 6th century. The current church is Norman, built in the early 13th century, and was consecrated by Bishop William de Burgh of Llandaff in 1250.

The church fell into neglect during the Reformation period but was fully restored in the late 19th century. In 1970 it underwent renovation: amongst other things, the windows were reglazed and the church was reroofed in Welsh slate. It is now formally dedicated to both Saints Dyfan and Teilo and as recently as 2010 the local parish continued to claim it to be the oldest Christian site in Wales, citing the legends concerning King Lucius.

Merthyr Dyfan Church is now a protected building & has been awarded a Grade 2* Listed Building Status (a scheme in which The National Assembly for Wales is required by law to compile lists of buildings of special architectural or historic interest. The lists are used to help planning authorities make decisions with the interests of the historic environment clearly identified) which will allow for the buildings' preservation for generations to come.