<< Our Photo Pages >> St Maelog's Cross - Ancient Cross in Wales in Powys
Submitted by Sunny100 on Sunday, 09 May 2010 Page Views: 6880
Early Medieval (Dark Age)Site Name: St Maelog's Cross Alternative Name: The Llowes Cross, Malwalbee's Stone, St Meilig's Church, St Meulog's CrossCountry: Wales County: Powys Type: Ancient Cross
Nearest Town: Hay On Wye Nearest Village: Llowes
Map Ref: SO1923941704
Latitude: 52.067796N Longitude: 3.179587W
Condition:
| 5 | Perfect |
| 4 | Almost Perfect |
| 3 | Reasonable but with some damage |
| 2 | Ruined but still recognisable as an ancient site |
| 1 | Pretty much destroyed, possibly visible as crop marks |
| 0 | No data. |
| -1 | Completely destroyed |
| 5 | Superb |
| 4 | Good |
| 3 | Ordinary |
| 2 | Not Good |
| 1 | Awful |
| 0 | No data. |
| 5 | Can be driven to, probably with disabled access |
| 4 | Short walk on a footpath |
| 3 | Requiring a bit more of a walk |
| 2 | A long walk |
| 1 | In the middle of nowhere, a nightmare to find |
| 0 | No data. |
| 5 | co-ordinates taken by GPS or official recorded co-ordinates |
| 4 | co-ordinates scaled from a detailed map |
| 3 | co-ordinates scaled from a bad map |
| 2 | co-ordinates of the nearest village |
| 1 | co-ordinates of the nearest town |
| 0 | no data |
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Anne T saw from a distance on 12th Jul 2021 St Maelog's Cross: Despite being told the church was open, and going armed with masks and hand sanitiser, the door was very firmly locked. We could see the back of the cross through the windows at the north western corner of the church, but it was impossible to photograph through the tiny, dirty panes. So disappointed. I did spot a sundial in the churchyard, built into a memorial stone, so had to be content with photographing that.
Andy B have visited here
The Celtic cross on the front side is well defined and quite spectacular. However, the carved cross on the opposite side was added in the 11th century and is not that special. The cross-slab is said to weigh 3 tonnes.
St Maelog or Meilig was a 6th century monk and a native of Clydeside in Scotland. He was a soldier but decided to abandon that way of life for a Christian one. Maelog came to Wales for training under St Cadoc at the monastic college of Llancarvan. When he arrived at Llowes a St Llywes (after whom the village is named) was already in occupancy. He departed and left St Maelog to found a smally monastery here. It seems quite likely that the saint used this pre-historic stone in his Christianisation of the area, having a Christian cross carved onto it. St Maelog was the brother of St Gildas the Historian.
A local legend says that a 12th century giantess called Malwalbee (Maud de Braose) of Hay Castle got the stone, or pebble to her, caught in her apron and because it started to annoy her she threw it across the River Wye to where Llowes church now stands.
This cross slab is recorded as Coflein NPRN 96531, Cross Slab, St Meilig's Church, Llowes, which includes a description and local traditions. The Journal of Antiquities also includes an entry for St Maelog’s Cross, Llowes, Powys, which includes a photograph and a drawing of the cross slab, a description, and background information about both the church an St Maelog (aka Meulog or Meilig), together with local folklore and a list of reference sources for more information.
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Wir möchten mehr über diese Stätte erfahren. Bitte zögern Sie nicht, eine kurze Beschreibung und relevante Informationen in Deutsch hinzuzufügen.
Nous aimerions en savoir encore un peu sur les lieux. S'il vous plaît n'hesitez pas à ajouter une courte description et tous les renseignements pertinents dans votre propre langue.
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