Llanellen Church is dedicated to St Elen, a fourth century Welsh princess, who has several churches dedicated to her in Wales. Although never formally canonised by Rome, Elen is traditionally considered a Welsh saint. Over the centuries, there has been confusion over who this church was dedicated to, with some thinking it was to St Helen, the mother of Constantine who legalised the Christian church throughout the Roman world. The confusion was compounded by the fact that both Elen and Helen had sons called Constantine.
In the 12th century, the old wooden Celtic church that stood on this site was rebuilt in stone by the Normans, but today very little of that building has survived because it was reconstructed in Victorian times by John Pritchard, a Welsh architect of the Neo Gothic style. One addition of note was the gothic bell tower at the west end. Although it is quite elegant, it is hardly in keeping with the rest of the church. On the four corners of the bell tower are carved figures, believed to represent the four evangelists, Matthew (represented by an angel), Mark (a lion), Luke (a winged bull) and John (an eagle) – although this last figure is missing. The two bells, made in the 17th century, were recast in 1922.
Inside, there are two fonts; the present one is octagonal and situated at the entrance to the church, while there is also the bowl of an ancient Norman font which at one time was inserted in the south wall of the churchyard and converted into a sundial. The stained glass windows include the Perpendicular east window, featuring the four apostles at the top of the window, and the Perpendicular west window titled Raising of Jairus’s Daughter. The latter was made in 1884 by John Hardman and dedicated by her sister to Elizabeth Anne Price, who was buried in the churchyard.
A past 8-time winner of Gwent Best Kept Churchyard, one of the most notable graves is surrounded by railings in the top corner of the grounds. It is the grave of Sir Thomas Phillips who once lived at Llanelen House and is best known for being Mayor of Newport at the time of the Chartists’ uprising in 1839. He was wounded while trying to read the Riot Act at the then Westgate Hotel in the town. He was a scholar, writing several books, and one of the founders of Trinity College, Carmarthen.
Among the graves is that of Private Richard Hunt, the 200th soldier to be killed in Afghanistan, dying on August 15, 2009. Hundreds of people attending his military funeral at St Mary’s Priory, Abergavenny, before the private burial at St Helen’s.
In 2022, a fire in the vestry led to the church being closed for nearly a year, re-opening and being rededicated by Bishop Cherry Vann on October 7, 2023. That the church wasn’t more severely damaged was due to the quick-thinking of local residents who alerted the emergency services and helped take valuables from the building.
The first action of the newly-commissioned Abergavenny Ministry Area, at the end of the official ceremony on January 8, 2023, was the presentation of donations from the six other churches to help with restoration costs.
Sunday services
The Sunday service takes place at 9.30am each week.
