St Celynin
Llangelynnin, Gwynedd
A fascinating church in a glorious setting.
Llanegryn church, dedicated to St Mary & St Egryn (7th century), is one of those rare places where peace seems to rise naturally from the landscape, settling over the visitor the moment they step through the lychgate. The first thing that strikes you is the stillness. It is not an empty silence, but a soft, enfolding calm shaped by centuries of prayer, community, and care. The church stands with a gentle dignity at the heart of the Dysynni Valley, its stonework warmed by sunlight and softened by age, clearly cherished by those who look after it.
The graveyard, spread like a green mantle around the church, is a world of its own. An ancient yew casts long shadows over gravestones whose inscriptions trace the valley’s history in names, dates, and stories. Here rest the famous and the humble, farmers and poets, local leaders and gentle souls whose lives were woven into the rural rhythms of the Dysynni. The thoughtful cataloguing of those buried here makes this peaceful haven particularly poignant. The plan of the churchyard echoes the caring of the local community. This quiet act of remembrance transforms the graveyard into a living archive: a sanctuary where ancestry, memory, and identity are not lost to time but preserved with tenderness.
Wandering among the headstones, you can sense how deeply the valley’s people are rooted in this landscape. The catalogue of names and the painting allow visitors to connect names to families, families to farms, and individuals to the wider tapestry of local life. It is both a guide and an invitation to linger, to reflect, and to honour the continuity of generations who shaped and continue to shape this corner of Wales.
Inside the church, the sense of sanctuary deepens. Light filters through the windows illuminating the simple beauty of the interior and its enchanting Rood Screen - a place crafted by devotion rather than grandeur. Together, church and churchyard offer a quiet retreat: a testament to community love, the passage of time, and the spiritual calm that defines Llanegryn.