St. Govan's Chapel

Last November when we decided to take the kids to the UK, I started doing extensive research about places we would visit, where we would stay and what we would see. St. Govan's chapel was on the top of the list and I didn't care if we had to rearrange our entire schedule, we were not leaving Wales until we saw this amazing little place of worship. Off the beaten path, on the coast of Pembrokeshire in South Wales, we had to drive rural one lane, not one way, roads to get to the parking lot of St. Govan's chapel. The drive alone would have been worth the trip. We drove through lovely villages boasting ancient churches, cemeteries and stone buildings nestled in green rolling hills adorned with sheep, flowers and the occasional castle.

This photo from the internet perfectly captures the type of roads we had to navigate getting to St. Govan's Chapel:

St. Govan was born in 500 AD, but aside from his birth and death, there are few records telling us much about him. Over the course of 1500 years or so, many legends about this man have been passed down through families and generations. Some believe that Govan was one of King Arthur's Knights of Round Table. Others say he was an Irish monk who traveled to Wales late in life seeking out friends and family.

The legend says that Govan found a cave on the coast and was living there when Pirates came to capture him. After praying to God for protection, the cliff opened up and left a fissure large enough for Govan to climb into and hide until the pirates left. In gratitude, Govan decided to stay on the cliff and live out the remainder of his life there. The Chapel is a small building that is roughly 20 ft X 12 ft and has 2 rooms. The front room has a small door, window, the remains of a well (that has long since dried up) and an altar. It is said that St. Govan's body is buried under the altar. That back room is really too small for anything, but you can see the fissure in the cliff. And if you look closely, you can even make out the markings of his head, spine and ribs from when the cliffs saved his life. Not sure if this story is true or not, but it sure is fun to wonder about it.

Govan supposedly had a bell that he kept in the bell tower and when he rang the bell, it made the most beautiful chimes in all the land. So beautiful were the chimes, that the pirates stole the bell. Govan prayed to the angels who flew in and took the bell back from the pirates and delivered it to Govan. To stop the pirates from returning and taking it again, the angels encased the bell in a huge stone, that is, the Bell Rock which is found at the water's edge. The legend said that when St Govan "rang" the stone, its sound had become a thousand times stronger.

Just below the chapel are the remnants of another well, that has also dried up. Legends say that the well had healing powers and cripples and the sick used to make the journey to visit the well to be healed.

As we descended the steps to the chapel, we were in awe of the building and the environment around us. Beautiful cliffs rose up on both sides and waves crashed violently agains the rocks down below. Stepping through his chapel, touching his altar and viewing the fissure where Govan is said to have hidden, just fills your mind with amazement and questions. How does one survive in such a remote area? What tools did he have to live with? The patience he must have had to build the chapel, collecting the stones for the walls and digging the well for fresh water is unheard of in todays fast paced world. We just sat. And looked. And wondered. And enjoyed the solitude.