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St Govan's Chapel

Coordinates: 51°35′55″N 4°56′12″W / 51.5987°N 4.9368°W / 51.5987; -4.9368
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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°35′55″N 4°56′12″W / 51.5987°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)

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

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 episodes 1–3 of the third series of the BBC drama His Dark Materials.

Ogof Gofan

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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

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  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. ^ a b "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.