Llanddew is a small village and

community A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place, norms, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, village, ...

about 2 km or 1 mile north-east of

Brecon Brecon (; cy, Aberhonddu; ), archaically known as Brecknock, is a market town in Powys, mid Wales. In 1841, it had a population of 5,701. The population in 2001 was 7,901, increasing to 8,250 at the 2011 census. Historically it was the coun ...

Powys Powys (; ) is a county and preserved county in Wales. It is named after the Kingdom of Powys which was a Welsh successor state, petty kingdom and principality that emerged during the Middle Ages following the end of Roman rule in Britain. Geog ...

, Wales. The population as of the 2011 UK Census was 232. It is in the historic county of Brecknockshire (Breconshire). Its manor belongs to the Bishops of Saint Davids, who formerly had a residence or bishop's palace there, of which some ruins still remain. These incorporate a double-sided vaulted well, known as Bishop Gower's Well. Llanddew Palace was the favoured residence of 12th-13th century clergyman and author

Giraldus Cambrensis Gerald of Wales ( la, Giraldus Cambrensis; cy, Gerallt Gymro; french: Gerald de Barri; ) was a Cambro-Norman priest and historian. As a royal clerk to the king and two archbishops, he travelled widely and wrote extensively. He studied and taugh ...

(Gerald of Wales), and hosted the Archbishop of Canterbury

Baldwin of Exeter Baldwin of Forde or FordSharpe ''Handlist of Latin Writers'' pp. 66–67 ( – 19 November 1190) was Archbishop of Canterbury between 1185 and 1190. The son of a clergyman, he studied canon law and theology at Bologna and was tutor to Pop ...

in 1188 during his mission through Wales recruiting for the

Crusades The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and sometimes directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The best known of these Crusades are those to the Holy Land in the period between 1095 and 1291 that were ...

. St David's

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...

in Llanddew is the oldest church in the historic county of Brecknockshire. The building dates from around the 13th century and has a cruciform shape, with a central tower. At one time, there were monastic buildings at the church, and the monks would go around the local area preaching and giving communion.

References

External links

Photos of Llanddew and surrounding area on geograph.org.uk
Villages in Powys Episcopal palaces in Wales {{Powys-geo-stub