The Church of St Anno in Llananno, Powys, Wales, is a redundant church dating from the 14th century. Its medieval rood screen is considered "one of the great treasures of Welsh craftsmanship". A Grade II* listed building, the church is now in the care of the Friends of Friendless Churches.
| St Anno's Church, Llananno | |
|---|---|
| Church of St Anno, Llananno | |
 "among the finest pieces of medieval screenwork in Wales"[1] | |
  St Anno's Church, Llananno Location in Powys | |
| 52°21′35″N 3°19′46″W / 52.3597°N 3.3294°W | |
| Location | Llananno, Powys |
| Country | Wales |
| Denomination | Church in Wales |
| History | |
| Status | Redundant |
| Founded | 14th century |
| Dedication | Saint Anno |
| Architecture | |
| Heritage designation | Grade II* |
| Designated | 29 July 2004 |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Specifications | |
| Materials | Stone, slate roof |
History and description
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The Church of St Anno stands beside the River Ithon on the edge of the village of Llananno. Of medieval origin, it was entirely rebuilt in 1876–1877 by David Walker, a Liverpool-based architect.[2] Walker incorporated elements from the medieval church, including the 15th-century rood screen.[3] Cadw considers the screen as "the most richly decorated and one of the most complete in Wales".[4] Scourfield and Haslam, in their Powys volume of the Buildings of Wales describe the "glorious [screen as] among the best examples of screen-work in Wales”, and the best of the work of the Newton school of Welsh screen-carvers, and draw comparisons with similar screens at Newton itself, at Llanegryn, Gwynedd, and at Daresbury, Cheshire.[1] The screen was restored during the Walker restoration, and again in the 1960s.[4] It comprises ten arches, with a centrally-placed archway, which support a large gallery with two bressummers (beams) above and below a central parapet carved with 25 figures of "Christ, Patriarchs, Kings and Prophets". The figures are 19th-century replacements.[1] The bressummers themselves are carved with images of "fruit and foliage, the stems emerging from the mouths of serpents".[5]
The church itself is small and simple, constructed of grey limestone with a porch and modest bell cote.[3] St Anno's is a Grade II* listed building, its Cadw record noting that the high grading is due to "its exceptional rood screen, an architectural survival of national importance".[4]
References
edit- ^ a b c Scourfield & Haslam 2013, pp. 334–335.
- ^ "St Anno's Church, Llananno (153570)". Coflein. RCAHMW. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
- ^ a b "Llananno". Friends of Friendless Churches. Retrieved 10 December 2020.
- ^ a b c Cadw. "Church of St Anno (Grade II*) (82991)". National Historic Assets of Wales. Retrieved 10 December 2020.
- ^ Jenkins 2008, p. 264.
Sources
edit- Jenkins, Simon (2008). Wales: Churches, Houses, Castles. London: Penguin. ISBN 978-0-713-99893-1.
- Scourfield, Robert; Richard, Haslam (2013). Powys: Montgomeryshire, Radnorshire and Breconshire. The Buildings of Wales. New Haven and London: Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-18508-9. OCLC 935421607.
External links
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Media related to St Anno's Church, Llananno at Wikimedia Commons- Illustrated article on the Llananno rood screen from BuildingConservation.com
