St Silin

The original wooden church was founded in the Age of Saints by Silin who was probably a Breton missionary.

The present church, now Grade I listed, was begun in 1405 after the Norman church was burnt down by the Prince of Wales in retaliation for Owain Glyndwr's rebellion. Glyndwr's family are believed to have had a chapel on the south side of the church and his mansion at Sycharth was less than a mile away. During the Civil War the church was used as stabling for horses by the parliamentary forces besieging nearby Chirk castle. They trashed the church but the spectacular 15th century carved wooden ceiling above the chancel escaped their attention.

High in the roof are two beams carved with wyverns, an heraldic device adopted by Glyndwr, perhaps carved as an act of defiance and loyalty to Glyndwr? Other notable features include the Seren Silin, St Silin’s star, a beautiful chandelier that dominates the nave and was given in 1821 by a son of the village who made his fortune in Birmingham.

The church has impressive stained glass including a large window dedicated to Huw Morus, the celebrated Welsh poet known as Eos Ceiriog (the nightingale of Ceiriog). He was a churchwarden at St Silin’s and in the south wall is a beautiful lancet window with an englyn written by Huw. He is buried below this against the outside wall. In Wild Wales George Borrow records a visit to the grave ; 'I went down on my knees and kissed the cold slab covering the cold remains of the mighty Huw'.

In a more recent literary genre the church featured in one of Ellis Peters popular Cadfael novels, Monk’s Hood.

In the churchyard there are several thousand year old yew trees and some intriguing gravestones with witches marks, engraved footprints and a death, it claims, on 31st February. In the church tower, built in 1832 a peal of six bells was restored in time to ring in the millennium and is now rung by an enthusiastic band of local people.