St Mary the Virgin Church, Medieval church ruins in Caerau, Wales
St Mary the Virgin Church is a medieval church ruin in Caerau, Cardiff, containing a nave, chancel, west tower, and south porch. The walls display Gothic features such as pointed arches and trefoil-headed windows, with the remains showing how the building once functioned as a complete place of worship.
Construction of the church began around 1260 and it first appears in records from 1291 when the Pope's tax assessors documented its existence. The building experienced major changes during the Protestant Reformation when religious decorations and furnishings were removed.
The building is dedicated to the Virgin Mary and served as a spiritual gathering place for the local community through the centuries. Today, visitors can sense how this structure held meaning for generations of people in Caerau.
The site sits on an elevated hilltop which gives visitors a commanding view of the area and provides easy access to walk around the ruins. The Friends of St Mary's Church has maintained this location since 1999, keeping the grounds accessible for anyone wanting to explore the remains.
The ruins stand on Caerau Hillfort, an ancient Iron Age defensive site with earthen banks that remain visible today within the landscape. This location holds layers of human activity stretching back centuries before the medieval church was ever built here.
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