History
It is not known when exactly the church in Old St Mellons was erected, but it must have happened before 1254, when it was first recorded in historical documents. Perhaps the Normans built it after the conquest of England and gave the call of Saint Mellonius, bishop of Rouen from the early 4th century, who allegedly was born in this region of Wales. The original church was enlarged in the 14th century (porch, south aisle, raised tower). Renovations from the nineteenth century, carried out among others, by the well-known architect George Gilbert Scott, did not violate the medieval, historic form of the church.
Architecture
The church consists of a rectangular, highly elongated nave, also rectangular in plan, but lower and very short chancel, a quadrilateral tower placed atypically in the middle of the south wall of the nave, and the south aisle (or chapel) east of the tower. On the northern side of the presbytery, a chapel was added, and a large porch was added to the southern wall of the nave. The southern aisle was opened with two arcades to the nave, and one to the presbytery. Most of the preserved elements were built in the style of Decorated and Perpendicular English Gothic.
Current state
Few early modern transformations affected only the windows of the northern chapel, it is also possible that this entire annex was built in the 17th century. The windows of the southern chapel were also renovated. Inside, a 15th-century baptismal font with a base probably from the 13th century and late-medieval benches in the nave have been preserved.
bibliography:
Salter M., The old parish churches of Gwent, Glamorgan & Gower, Malvern 2002.
Website archwilio.org.uk, St Mellon’s church at St Mellons.
Website wikipedia.org, St Mellons Church.