History
The church in Llanelieu was built in the 13th century, and in the 15th century it was rebuilt in late Gothic style. In the 16th century, it was further enhanced with a porch on the south side. In later centuries, it avoided major early modern alterations, but by the second half of the 19th century, it was reportedly in poor condition. A thorough renovation was carried out at the beginning of the 20th century, when, among other things, a bell turret was built on the west side.
Architecture
The church was built on a fragment of flat ground within a bend in the stream, south of an elongated ridge. It was built of irregularly laid sandstone and slate used for the roof. Its plan was a very simple, elongated rectangle, without an externally separated chancel or tower. This austere layout was enriched in the late 16th century only by the addition of a porch on the south side, protecting the entrance for the congregation. A second, pointed entrance portal, intended for the priest, was placed in the eastern part of the south wall, but it was no preceded by a vestibule.
The exterior facades of the church were simple, unsupported by buttresses and not reinforced by pilasters. Only the western wall was reinforced with a low batter. The walls were originally pierced with narrow, small lancet windows, with wide splays facing inward. Towards the end of the Middle Ages, a more ornate late Gothic two-light window with cinquefoil heads was inserted into the western wall. A similar two-light window may also have been placed on the axis of the eastern wall at that time. The northern and southern windows of the nave likely remained small, single-light openings until the end of the Middle Ages.
Inside the church, a timber rood screen separated the nave from the chancel, divided at the ground floor into three arcades (the two side arcades being wider than the central arcade). Painted a distinctive red, it featured a loft and quatrefoil-shaped openings in the balustrade. The spaces between the moulded pillars of the arcades were originally filled with lightweight screens. The body of the church was covered with an open roof truss, with arched collar beams and rafters above the rood screen, and wind braces moulded with cinquefoil motifs. The walls were covered with colorful polychrome paintings.
Current state
The church from the outside, thanks to the transformed southern windows and the modern turret, does not look very interesting today, while its interior hides real treasures. The polychromes on the walls have survived, some of which (e.g. Adam and Eve) date back to the Middle Ages. The wooden rood screen from the 14th century is particularly valuable. Stones from the 7th-9th centuries lean against the outer wall of the porch, and despite their wear, Celtic crosses are clearly visible. Also worthy of note are the 13th-century southern portal for the priest, the original northern windows, the late Gothic western window, and the partially medieval roof truss. A stone sundial from 1686 can be seen on the southern façade.
bibliography:
Haslam R., The buildings of Wales. Powys (Montgomeryshire, Radnorshire, Breconshire), London 1979.
Kinross J., Discovering the smallest churches in Wales, Stroud 2007.
Salter M., The old parish churches of Mid-Wales, Malvern 1997.
Wooding J., Yates N., A Guide to the churches and chapels of Wales, Cardiff 2011.