The Church of the Holy Cross is a medieval church in Cowbridge in the Vale of Glamorgan, south Wales. Initially a chapel of ease to Church of St John the Baptist, Llanblethian of Cowbridge as a medieval market town. Believed to have been built in the 13th century, the church has an unusual tower design. It has undergone several restorations including one by John Prichard in 1850–52. The Church of the Holy Cross was listed as a Grade I building on 12 May 1963. History The church is thought to have been built as part of the construction of the medieval town in Cowbridge during the late 13th century. Although at first a chapel of ease for Llanblethian, Holy Cross was built on a large scale. The church was remodeled throughout the medieval period reflecting the growing prosperity of the town. Its initial build consisted of a tower between a chancel and a wide aisleless nave. The tower once consisted of a 14th-century spire, but this was destroyed by lightning in 1480. In the 15th century an aisle, known as the south Llanquian aisle, was added to the nave, and a north chapel to the chancel. There is a belief that these additions were gifted by Lady Anne Neville, heiress to the lordship of Glamorgan and wife of Richard, Duke of Gloucester, later King Richard III of England. Newman states that this is based on "dubious documentary evidence". The first organ at the church was a gift from Jasper Tudor, who made similar gifts to other parish churches. It was recorded in 1721 that the walls of the tower had decayed timbers and frames. In addition the four bells in the tower were broken and cracked. The town of Cowbridge was desirous of having a set of eight bells instead of the four now possessed by the church. The town's revenues were mortgaged to pay for the re-casting of the four broken church bells and the addition of four new ones. In 1848 a charitable call was made by the church for necessary "re-pewing and re-paving", with a target of £250 requested, much of the money coming from wealthy parishioners. That same year some chancel windows were re-opened and glazed by Edward Haycock. Between 1850 and 1852 the church underwent a substantial renovation to the sum of £1,800, contracted to John Prichard of Cardiff. In 1893 the west gallery was