Partrishow Church in The Black Mountains.
02nd February 2020
Yesterday on a cold and blustery day Susan and I visited one of our favourite churches. The church of St Issui situated on a steep and remote hillside in the Grwyne valley in the Black Mountains between Crickhowell and Abergavenny.
The church was originally named Merthyr Issui after Issui a 6th Century hermit who existed in a cell beside a small mountain stream which flows near the hillside on which the church now stands. The name has changed over the years to be called Patricio among others then finally Partrishow as it is today. Issui’s mission in life was basically to offer comfort to weary travellers and to then baptise and convert them to Christianity. Appallingly he was robbed and murdered by a traveller, ironically one of the very people he was trying to offer comfort to. Who knows what happened on that day, his meagre possessions were of little value that much was obvious! Perhaps the culprit took offence at the Hermit’s attempts to convert him – whatever occurred is lost in the mists of time.
Some good however, did become of this tragedy, because his murder attracted pilgrims to the site in the Middle Ages, believing the water held healing powers, and one pilgrim left some gold at the site of the cell in the 11th C to help finance the building of a church. This was originally a simple stone structure but a more substantial church was built at the site in the 14th C. Subsequently the church was sympathetically restored around 1908.
The interior of the church is very pleasant indeed with a simply decorated altar and a magnificent ornately carved wooden screen above it.
On one wall is a very old painting of a skeleton, symbolizing man’s mortality.
The skeleton is depicted with a knife in one hand and an hour glass in the other. In addition it also holds a shovel as a stark reminder of what lies ahead.
To this day people visit the site of the cell and church to feel this history and there is most definitely something about this place that can be deeply thought provoking but also therapeutic. Perhaps it is the remoteness of the location combined with the aforementioned series of events that led to the construction of the church. Who knows why people come, it’s a personal thing. All I do know is that it’s just a nice place to spend some time away from everyday life and I get a feeling of contentment whenever I visit.
Most of these hillside churches suffer from subsidence.
The path leading up to the church.
The church from the boundary wall.
The open bell tower, ravaged by centuries of weather.
The church was originally named Merthyr Issui after Issui a 6th Century hermit who existed in a cell beside a small mountain stream which flows near the hillside on which the church now stands. The name has changed over the years to be called Patricio among others then finally Partrishow as it is today. Issui’s mission in life was basically to offer comfort to weary travellers and to then baptise and convert them to Christianity. Appallingly he was robbed and murdered by a traveller, ironically one of the very people he was trying to offer comfort to. Who knows what happened on that day, his meagre possessions were of little value that much was obvious! Perhaps the culprit took offence at the Hermit’s attempts to convert him – whatever occurred is lost in the mists of time.
Some good however, did become of this tragedy, because his murder attracted pilgrims to the site in the Middle Ages, believing the water held healing powers, and one pilgrim left some gold at the site of the cell in the 11th C to help finance the building of a church. This was originally a simple stone structure but a more substantial church was built at the site in the 14th C. Subsequently the church was sympathetically restored around 1908.
The interior of the church is very pleasant indeed with a simply decorated altar and a magnificent ornately carved wooden screen above it.
On one wall is a very old painting of a skeleton, symbolizing man’s mortality.
The skeleton is depicted with a knife in one hand and an hour glass in the other. In addition it also holds a shovel as a stark reminder of what lies ahead.
To this day people visit the site of the cell and church to feel this history and there is most definitely something about this place that can be deeply thought provoking but also therapeutic. Perhaps it is the remoteness of the location combined with the aforementioned series of events that led to the construction of the church. Who knows why people come, it’s a personal thing. All I do know is that it’s just a nice place to spend some time away from everyday life and I get a feeling of contentment whenever I visit.
Most of these hillside churches suffer from subsidence.
The path leading up to the church.
The church from the boundary wall.
The open bell tower, ravaged by centuries of weather.