page:  = St Caffo 's Church , Llangaffo = 
   
   St Caffo 's Church , Llangaffo is a 19th @-@ century church , in the south of Anglesey , north Wales , about 5 miles ( 8 @.@ 0 km ) from the county town , Llangefni . It was constructed in 1846 to replace the previous medieval church in the village of Llangaffo . The new building includes a number of monuments from the old church , and has a spire which is a prominent local landmark . The churchyard has part of a stone cross dating from the 9th or 10th century , and some gravestones from the 9th to 11th centuries . It is dedicated to St Caffo , a 6th @-@ century martyr who was killed in the vicinity . 
   The church is still in use as part of the Church in Wales , one of four churches in a combined parish . It is a Grade II listed building , a designation given to " buildings of special interest , which warrant every effort being made to preserve them " , in particular because it is regarded as " a mid 19th @-@ century rural church , consistently articulated and detailed in an Early English style " . 
   
   = = History and location = = 
   
   The date of first construction of a church in Llangaffo ( a village in Anglesey about 5 miles ( 8 @.@ 0 km ) south of the county town of Llangefni ) is uncertain . The village takes its name from the church : the Welsh word llan originally meant " enclosure " and then " church " , and " -gaffo " is a modified form of the saint 's name . St Caffo , a 6th @-@ century Christian , was a companion of St Cybi and was martyred by shepherds in the vicinity of what is now Llangaffo , perhaps in revenge for his brother Gildas insulting Maelgwn Gwynedd , the local ruler . It is thought that there may have at one point been a monastery in this location , known as " Merthyr Caffo " : merthyr is the Welsh word for " martyr " , and in place names means a building erected near a saint 's grave . 
   The present building , which is in the north @-@ eastern part of the village on the south @-@ eastern side of the B4419 road , was erected in 1846 alongside the churchyard to a design by the Sheffield @-@ based architects Weightman and Hadfield . It replaced an older church , which had stood on an adjoining outcrop of rock until it was demolished . It was described by the clergyman and antiquarian Harry Longueville Jones ( writing in 1846 , as the new church was being constructed ) as a " very small and unimportant edifice " ; he also noted that it was the only medieval building remaining in the parish . 
   The 19th @-@ century church is still in use and belongs to the Church in Wales . It is one of four churches in the combined benefice of Llanfihangel Ysgeifiog ( St Michael 's Church , Gaerwen ) with Llangristiolus ( St Cristiolus 's Church ) with Llanffinan ( St Ffinan 's Church ) with Llangaffo . It is within the deanery of Malltraeth , the archdeaconry of Bangor and the Diocese of Bangor . As of 2012 , the vicar of the four churches is Emlyn Williams , assisted by a curate ( E. R. Roberts ) . Williams was appointed in 2007 ; before that , the position had been vacant for 20 years despite many attempts by the Church in Wales to fill it . Services in Welsh are held every Sunday , either Holy Communion or Morning Prayer ; there are no midweek services . 
   Edward Wynn ( 1618 – 1669 ) was rector here from 1658 ; he later became Chancellor of Bangor Cathedral , and is buried at the church . James Williams ( 1790 – 1872 ) was the son of John Williams , rector of St Caffo 's . He succeeded his father when he resigned in 1821 , and later became Chancellor of Bangor Cathedral . 
   
   = = Architecture and fittings = = 
   
   St Caffo 's is built of rubble masonry dressed with limestone , in an early English style ( a style of architecture used between about 1180 and 1275 , typically using narrow pointed windows and arches ) . The roof is made of slate . The tower , at the west end , has buttresses at the corners and is topped with a broach spire , which is a prominent local landmark . Entrance is through an arched doorway in the north side of the tower . The chancel , at the east end of the church , is smaller than the nave in both height and width ; there is a transept on the north side of the chancel . The nave has lancet windows , and there is a further lancet window on the south side of the chancel . The church 's east window is set in a pointed arch and has three lights ( sections of window separated by mullions ) . 
   Inside the church , the sanctuary at the east end is raised above the chancel by one step ; the floor of the sanctuary and the reredos behind the altar are made from encaustic tiles . Fittings include a circular decorated 12th @-@ century font and a 17th @-@ century pulpit with carved decorative panels . A 1937 survey by the Royal Commission on Ancient and Historical Monuments in Wales and Monmouthshire recorded that the church owned a silver cup and a paten dated 1736 . The transept has a number of memorials dating from the 17th century ( including one to Edward Wynn ) , and a stone from the early 7th century inscribed with .. VI / RNIN / FILIUS / CUURIS / CINI / ERE / XIT / HUNC / LAPI / DEM . The stone , which is set in the wall , originally came from Newborough , Anglesey . The church porch houses part of a cross head in the shape of a wheel , dating from the 9th or 10th century ; part of the rest of the cross is in the churchyard , but it has suffered significant weather damage with most of the patterns worn away . 
   The oldest graves are to the north of the church , which is unusual : ordinarily the southern part of the churchyard would be used first for burials , with the northern part remaining unconsecrated unless and until extra space for graves was required . The path between the road and the church has sunken , which may partly be explained by the medieval custom of burying the dead on top of each other . One author has suggested that the mound alongside the path might indicate that the church is located in the site of a Bronze Age settlement . 
   The churchyard has seven gravestones that were discovered in the walls of the previous church . Six of them date from between the 9th and 11th centuries , and the seventh is from the 12th or 13th century . The doorway from the old church , dating from the 15th century , has been reused as an entrance to the churchyard . A carved stone human head , from the 12th century , has been inserted into the north wall of the churchyard . A war memorial in the shape of a Celtic cross remembers those who died during the First and Second World Wars . 
   
   = = Assessment = = 
   
   The church is a Grade II listed building – the lowest of the three grades of listing , designating " buildings of special interest , which warrant every effort being made to preserve them " . It was given this status on 30 January 1968 and Cadw ( the Welsh Assembly Government body responsible for the built heritage of Wales ) states that it has been listed because it is " a mid 19th @-@ century rural church , consistently articulated and detailed in an Early English style . " 
   The 19th @-@ century writer Samuel Lewis said that the rebuilt church " forms a very good specimen of the early English style of architecture " , adding that it was " effective from its simplicity and the absence of pretension . " He added that the interior had been " fitted up in a neat and appropriate manner , and the details throughout appear to have been carefully studied " . A 2006 guide to the churches of Anglesey says that the " impressive " tower and steeple " form " a landmark visible for many miles . " It also comments that rendering on part of the tower and the south wall makes them less attractive than the north wall . 
   A 2009 guide to the buildings of the region notes the " exceptional number of inscribed fragments " , showing it to be a place of early Christian worship , but considers that the church is " unlovely " . Similarly , a 2005 guide to Wales describes St Caffo 's as " an uninspiring nineteenth @-@ century church from the outside " but says that it has " a remarkable collection " of memorial stones . 
   
   