Eglwys Sant Baglan

This small redundant church occupies an isolated position in a field bordering the shores of the Menai Straits. It dates back to  the C13th, but a church existed here some 600 years earlier. Named after the Welsh saint, Baglan, it is now redundant. It is a rare example of a medieval church that escaped restoration during Victorian times, and as such has special historical interest. 

This is only my second visit here, the first being on a beautiful late summer day last year when the sky was blue and the straits mirror-calm, reflecting the Snowdonia spur that stretches along Llyn. Today, dark clouds hover over the mountains, allowing shafts of sunshine  which illuminate the hills behind the church. The wind gusts violently, whipping up the water, reminding us of how the trees have been bent crooked - ‘craving alms of the sun’ as Bronte wrote. 

There’s something more than spiritual about this place, isolated, but echoing the voices of farming congregations past, many of whom may be buried in the walled churchyard. When Covid’s ‘over’, hopefully we can return to see inside. 

(My intention was to use this as a Mono Monday entry - having abandoned any notion of portraiture today, but I decided to add a sepia tint using the Distressed app)