St Peter’s is a small stone church [grade2*], built within a near circular churchyard, indicating an ancient Celtic gathering place [7th century]. The building is mixture of styles, and although the oldest part is 13th century, there have been several phases of development over the centuries. The most recent was in 1877. For more information see our website.
Set in the picturesque Usk Valley, just to the west of Abergavenny, St Peter’s is a rural church in a lovely setting and we have a strong sense of community and fellowship.
The parish of Llanwenarth Citra is scattered over a wide area, from the county boundary to the west, the river Usk to the south, the Sugarloaf to the north and Abergavenny to the East. The church has only three houses near it, so the congregation comes from a wide area, some as far away as Tredegar! The congregation is lively, friendly and supportive, although in common with most churches, many are elderly, but this doesn’t stop them playing their part in Church activities. Services are followed by coffee and a chat and we enjoy singing the hymns and psalms: even when we don’t have an organist, we make do with a recorder for the notes!
Being a country church, Harvest Festival is very important to us and usually followed by a parish lunch which is open to all. The Hall is also used for services when the church is inaccessible due to flooding.
The church has an excellent acoustic and hosts an annual concert around the Patronal Festival, 29th June, as well as being used as a rehearsal space for singers. The beautiful setting also makes it a lovely place for smaller weddings.
In 2018 the stone roof of the church was replaced at a cost of nearly £200,000. The congregation had to raise a share of this money and the ‘fun’ fundraising activities brought the wider parish together in a wonderful way. There is now a drive to complete the restoration project, repairing the tower, which has been supported by internal scaffolding since 2014. When complete, the church will have a water supply, an accessible WC and small kitchen area, a vestry and ringable bells. The rear of the church will then be turned into a multi-use community space.
The church supports the primary education of an orphan in Rukungiri, Uganda. As they leave school, we support another. The project was started by Rev. John Tumusiime and his wife Alice who has come and talked to us when she comes to the UK to visit all the groups who support the project. One of the trustees lives locally, and regularly travels out to Uganda to provide support and assistance to the orphanage and associated hospital.
There are ancient yew trees in the churchyard, one of which is estimated to be over 1700 years old. It is also full of wildflowers in the spring, especially snow drops, crocuses, primroses and violets. Maintenance of the area is sensitive to the rich wildlife, whilst recognising that access must be maintained to certain areas. A few times a year we organise a working party to clear and tidy the churchyard and people from the wider parish come and help us and gives us a chance to chat to our neighbours.
During the pandemic, Helena Hunt, who lives locally, mapped out the graveyard, providing precise locations, names and genealogies for over 2,000 of the people buried at St Peter’s. This information can be easily accessed via findagrave.com. This is a fantastic resource, which has given us a deeper sense of the people who lived and worshipped in the local area. It has also brought people from far and wide to visit the place where their ancestors were buried. We are delighted to welcome them.
Sunday Service
9.30am, either Holy Eucharist or Morning Prayer
