Churches

St Andrew's

The church is dedicated to St Andrew. It is a Norman church of the early 12th Century. It was renovated in the late 19th Century.

St Cattwg's

St Cattwg was a Welsh saint born in 497AD and the present church dates from the mid-19th century having been restored at the expense of Christopher (Kit) Rice Mansel Talbot of Penrice, the owners of the land, though its foundation may go back to the 6th century. The entrance archway is Norman. An unusual feature of the church is the absence of both an east or west window. Due to the rocky strata beneath Port Eynon churchyard and because of the volume of existing graves, it has been agreed that the churchyard at St Cattwg, Port Eynon be closed to all future burials in new graves save for the provision of reopening of existing family graves and the burial of cremated remains in the Garden of rest or in existing family graves.

St David's

St David's Church, Llanddewi is small, simple 13th Century church. In the rural heartland of Gower, it is situated in a farmyard on the Gower Way, a route established for walkers using public footpaths and rights of way. The saddle-back tower is accessed internally through a wide arch from the nave, while another wide arch separates the nave from the chancel. The chancel is slightly off-set to the right, to symbolise the head of the crucified Christ. The church is unusually light and welcoming, having low, plain-glass windows. Books, leaflets and prayer cards are available. In its farmyard setting, this ancient church is said to have been built by Henry de Gower, Bishop of St David's, 1328-1347.

St George's

Many of the Gower churches are dedicated to the Celtic saints who brought Christianity to the area, such as Cenydd and Teilo. The founder of our church in Reynoldston is believed to be Reginald (or Reynald) de Breos, from whom the village gets its name. The De Breos family were given the Lordship of Gower from King John in about 1200th century. The church was erected in the early 13th century. The southern and western parts of the peninsula were populated largely by English settlers. It is hardly surprising then that the church was dedicated to St George, the patron saint of England! St George was supposedly born in Cappadocia (Turkey) and was put to death for supporting the Christian faith, by Emperor Diocletian, about 300 AD. The old church was a simple stone building, probably with a thatched roof. It was rebuilt in 1867. The font and some other memorials from the old church were retained in the new building. The names of the Rectors are engraved on slate tablets on the porch side walls. The right to appoint them remained in the hands of private landowners like the Vernon's and the Talbots of Penrice. The Rector was remunerated by the receipt of "tithes" (being one tenth of the agricultural produce of the parish). He also farmed the church owned Glebe comprised of 41 acres of arable and pasture land south west of Castle Ditty Lane. At Easter time he received eggs and money from parishioners three pence from each married couple, a penny halfpenny from each widow or widower and a halfpenny from each single person. The parish had two Church Wardens and a parochial Church Council. By the 18th century tithes had largely abandoned in favour of regular payments, but it became increasingly difficult to support on church. In the 1780's, for example, Reynoldston was served by the Rector of Llanmadoc. Until recently Saint George's Reynoldston was grouped with Saint Cenyth's, Llangennith and St Andrew's, Penrice. They were separate parishes under the control of one Priest. Now St George's is part of the United Benefice of South Gower and the church provides a subwarden as part of this new parish.

St Illtyd's

Almost hidden from view, beneath the glooming shadows of the woods neighbouring Oxwich Bay, nestles the church of St. Illtyd's. Reputedly, a Christian building has been present on this site since the 6th century, but the current building is a largely 13th century construction with a 14th century tower.

St Mary's

Dedicated to St Mary the Virgin, the present structure was probably built in the late 12th century. The entrance arch is a fine example of the late Norman period. The outer dogtooth moulding and the inner moulding of deeply cut chevrons are considered to be rare in Wales. On the left hand pillar can be seen the remains of a scratch dial. A memorial tablet in white marble can also be found dedicated to Petty Officer Edgar Evans, RN, who died in 1912 with Captain Scott on the tragic return journey after they reached the South Pole. It was erected by his widow, Lois Evans (formerly Beynon) and bears the inscription: To seek, to strive, to find and not to yield.