St Govan’s Chapel is a tiny stone building (20 x 12 feet, 6.1
m × 3.7 m) perched in a ravine in the cliffs overlooking the sea at St Govan’s Head,
Pembrokeshire, Wales. It is believed to date from the 5th century.
Nobody is quite sure who St Govan was. Some people believe
that he was a disciple of St David, while others that he was a thief who became
a convert. There are also theories that he was actually a woman who was the
wife of a 5th century chief, and even that he was King Arthur’s knight Sir
Gawain who spent the rest of his life as a hermit after Arthur’s death.
There are several legends and strange beliefs associated
with the chapel. One of them concerns the stone-cut staircase that leads down
to the chapel – this is that the number of steps is different depending on
whether you are going up them or down!
Inside the chapel there is a vertical cleft in the rock
which, according to legend, first miraculously opened to conceal St Govan from
his enemies. The rock closed behind him and did not reopen until the danger had
passed. A wish made while standing in the cleft and facing the wall will be
granted provided that you do not change your mind before turning round.
Just below the chapel is St Govan’s healing well and the red
clay in the cliffs has been credited with the power to heal sore eyes.
Whether or not one believes any of the stories associated
with the chapel it is well worth a visit for a view of the dramatic limestone
cliffs and the sea crashing against them at their base.
© John Welford
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