Bassaleg Village

It's the Wide Wednesday challenge today with the theme of 'structures' so I thought an aerial view of the next village to me, Bassaleg (Newport, Wales, UK) would fit in. The main photo shows most of it and the extra shows the church from which the village probably derives it's name.

According to historians, Bassaleg is the only British place whose name derives from the word basilica, a term used in early Christianity for a church containing the body of a saint. Until the mid-19th century, a grave chapel for St. Gwladys survived close to the church.

Bassilica has Roman connections meaning a major church housing the body of a saint or a cemtery outside the walls of a town. Bassaleg stands on the point of a crossroads at The River Ebbw, of a Roman Road from Caerleon to West Wales. In 1996, a large Roman Villa was found at Croes Carn Einion nearby.

About 1100AD, Bassaleg was part of Glastonbury Abbey and housed a monastic cell. It's thought they misread the place name as a dedication to St Basil of Cappadocia! About 1214 the land was leased to The Church of St Basil on The Ebbw and all the monks in it, and about 1240 this and surrounding churches were leased by Glastonbury to The Bishop of Llandaff for an annual rent.