Do you know who St Melangell was?

Hers is a lovely story which we were all told about when we went to Pennant Melangell for a quiet day.

We found out that in the year 604 Prince Brochwel Ysgithrog was hunting in Pennant, at the head of the Tanat valley, when his hounds pursued a hare into a bramble thicket where they found a beautiful virgin at prayer. The hare took refuge under the hem of her garment, and the dogs fled, howling.

The prince discovered that the maiden was Melangell, a king's daughter who had fled Ireland fifteen years before to escape a forced marriage, and lead a life of contemplation. Brochwel gave her the valley as a place of sanctuary. Melangell remained in the valley where she founded a nunnery.

The church (open daily 10am to 4pm) is quite delightful and contains the shrine of Saint Melangell which is of international significance and the only Romanesque shrine to survive in Britain. It was constructed around 1160 to hold Melangell's relics.  We saw lots of prayer requests left by pilgrims on the base of the shrine.

The church is surrounded by ancient yew trees some of which are said to be 2000 years old.

We all enjoyed the serenity of the place and the welcome given to us by the staff at the visitor centre. If you have the opportunity, it really is worth a visit