The Restoration Project

Preserving a Legacy and Creating a Vibrant Space for Generations to Come

 

The Legacy

St Illtud’s Church is a Grade I listed building “…of exceptional national interest” according to Cadw, and, when John Wesley visited in 1777, he described it as,
“abundantly the most beautiful as well as the most spacious church in Wales”.

The architecture reflects a rare complete history of Welsh Christianity, comprising basically three buildings, an East Church, a West Church and a restored Galilee
chapel, where a highly significant collection of Celtic crosses, dating back to the 8th - 10th centuries, are now displayed.

In the recent archaeological programme ‘Digging for Britain’ and in her recent publication entitled ‘Domination’ Professor Alice Roberts emphasises the Church’s great historical and spiritual significance, representing a continuous link of Christian worship and witness stretching back over 1500 years.


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Founded in around 500 A.D. by St. Illtud, the Church site is one of the oldest Christian locations in Britain and is, according to the Guinness Book of Records,
Britain’s earliest ‘seat of learning’, where many well-known Celtic saints were educated, including reputedly St. David and St. Patrick, and from where the faith was
taken to Brittany, Cornwall, Ireland and South-West Scotland.

You can read more about Our Heritage here

Securing the building for Generations to Come

For centuries this church has stood at the heart of our town, but now

the building,requires urgent maintenance work to prevent the water ingress in the tower, to restore the porch and to preserve the valuable wall paintings

and we need to prepare it for the next century so that our children and grandchildren have a modern,warm,welcoming place to gather.

Our plan is not just to repair the building, but to prepare it for the future

As good stewards, we are thinking of ways to reduce our carbon footprint and to progress as far as possible towards net zero by carefully considering the resources we use and the way the building is heated and lit.

With this in mind, the Local Church Council, in association with the Diocese and its architects, has drawn up a Master Plan for a whole range of projects to develop a Church and site that is fit for the 21 st Century.

We are currently limited in our scope because the church is Grade 1 listed which means that we cannot fit solar panels or double glazing, but we hope that this project will carefully restore our historic architecture while integrating the modern technology and sustainable energy needed to keep our doors open for the next generation.

Help us write the next chapter of our shared history

 

The project is estimated to be in the region of £0.5 million

The fundraising has started and we are currently applying for grants to contribute to this work but we need more help to make this happen.
 

If you live locally....

Please help us to keep this historic building alive, vibrant, dry, and open for generations to come as a dynamic space for the whole community  

If you live in Wales....

Before Oxford, before Cambridge, there was Llantwit Major.
St Illtud’s sits on the site of Britain's very first college, the spiritual and intellectual engine room that educated the Celtic saints who built Wales.
As a Grade I listed national treasure, it belongs to the whole of Wales. We need a national effort to future-proof this irreplaceable piece of our collective soul.
 

Wherever you are in the world....

In the 5th century, a spark of learning ignited on the south coast of Wales and illuminated the entire Atlantic world. St Illtud's global alumni network established churches, namesakes, and culture across Brittany, Ireland, and beyond. Today, this monumental world heritage site needs global guardianship. By supporting our master plan, international donors such as you will be keeping a 1,500-year chain of continuous light and history alive.

 See the master plan

If you would like to know more about the proposals for the Church and to view the full Master Plan or you would like to contribute or join the Friends of St. Illtud’s, please contact us