St Francis Xavier & St David Lewis
Usk , Monmouthshire
Built in 1847 in the Gothic Revival style to a design by Hansom, this recently restored rural parish church is one of the oldest and most beautiful Catholic churches in south Wales.
Usk was home to Wales only medieval community of Benedictine nuns. The east end of the church is early 12th century, with solid drum pillars and simple scallops. When the nuns took over the main part of the church, the townspeople built a new nave to the north. The nuns part of the church would have been screened off, but you would still be able to hear their chanting, see the candlelight and smell the incense.
In the 15th century, elaborately carved rood screens were placed across both parts of the church. The paint on the chancel screen is modern but shows how the screens might have looked in the Middle Ages. Tucked away on the chancel screen is a brass plate with a very early Welsh inscription to Adam of Usk, a priest and historian who died in 1430.
The organ was designed for Llandaff Cathedral and moved to Usk in 1900. The pipes are vividly painted, some with dragon like mouths.
Outside, you can see two splendid two-storeyed porches over the west and north doors. Walk round to the east end, now part of the graveyard. Here you can see the outline of the medieval chancel, which was demolished when the priory was closed down in 1536. Back at the west door is a memorial to David Lewis, a Catholic priest who was hanged for his faith in Usk in 1679. As you leave the churchyard, you can see the gatehouse which would have led to the cloister and the priory buildings.
