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St.
Cybi is a truly ancient church. The original was built
on the site of a monastic settlement dating back to
540 AD.
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| It
was founded within the protection of an abandoned Roman
fort by St. Cybi, first cousin of St. David, the Patron
Saint of Wales. |
| He
came here at the end of his life, having preached the
gospel throughout Gaul, Cornwall, Devon, South Wales,
Aran , Meath and the Lleyn Peninsular. Churches he founded
can still be seen at Llangybi on the Lleyn, Usk and at
Duloe and Tregony in Cornwall. |
| He
was also a friend of St. Seiriol of Penmon, both of whom
are depicted on the icon at the top of this page. |
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The
Meeting of the Saints
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| In
the icon the two saints are seen meeting at the Clorach
Holy Well in the centre of Anglesey. |
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legend is that St. Cybi was tanned facing the sun travelling
East in the morning and West in the afternoon. St. Seiriol
was tanned in the opposite direction-his face remained
pale! Hence 'Seriol Wyn a Chybi Felyn' White Seriol and
Tawny Cybi! |
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St.
Cybi died in 554 AD, leaving the legacy of the Celtic Clás,
which controlled most of the West of Anglesey until the Reformation.
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| The
church was sacked by the Vikings in the 10th centuryand suffered
further violation when Henry IV's army invaded Anglesey from
Ireland in 1405, most of Wales being under the control of Owain
Glyndwr at the time. |
| Sadly,
when Henry's men returned to Dublin, they took with them St.Cybi's
shrine and relics. These were installed in Christ Church cathedral
in Dublin, but disappeared at the time of the Reformation. |
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| The
last assault on the church took place in the 17th century when
soldiers of Cromwell were garrisoned in the church for several
years. They systematically destroyed the interior windows, font,
tombs and statues. The empty niches in the porch stand in testament
to their actions. Thankfully, the carvings above the door survived. |
| The
postcard to the right shows the church in 1899, complete with
mountings for gas lighting among the pews! |
If
you'd like to read a more detailed account of the life of
St.Cybi, you can download a Microsoft Word document by clicking
here. A beautifully
produced video about St. Cybi and church is also available.
You can find details of it by clicking here
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The
Friends of St. Cybi. Ty Cyfle, 68-82 Market Street. Holyhead.
Ynys Mon. LL65 1UW
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