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St Michael's Chapel, Cwrt-y-Carne is a medieval chapel situated in Wales and protected by Cadw as a heritage monument under reference GM363. The chapel stands on bedrock formed from the South Wales Upper Coal Measures, a geological formation of Westphalian age that comprises mudstone, siltstone, sandstone, coal, ironstone and ferricrete. This coal-bearing geology shaped the landscape in which the chapel was built and reflects the mineral-rich character of South Wales.
The chapel represents a surviving example of medieval religious architecture in the region. Built upon solid coal measure strata, the structure demonstrates how medieval communities established places of worship within their local environment. The underlying geology, with its deposits of coal and ironstone, would have influenced both the availability of building materials and the economic life of surrounding settlements during and after the chapel's construction.
Today St Michael's Chapel remains an important monument to medieval faith and settlement patterns in Wales. Its preservation under Cadw protection ensures that this physical evidence of the region's religious heritage continues to be maintained and studied. The site contributes to understanding both medieval ecclesiastical organisation and the interaction between human settlement and the distinctive coal measure geology of South Wales.
St Michael's Chapel, Cwrt-y-Carne is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference GM363. View the official record →
St Michael's Chapel, Cwrt-y-Carne is a medieval chapel situated in Wales and protected by Cadw as a heritage monument under reference GM363.
St Michael's Chapel, Cwrt-y-Carne dates from the medieval period, and is classified as a chapel. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
St Michael's Chapel, Cwrt-y-Carne is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Cadw — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Wales. The official designation reference is GM363.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Dan-y-Lan Camp (5 km), Pen-y-Gaer (6 km), Gron-Gaer (6.1 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of St Michael's Chapel, Cwrt-y-Carne's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
St Michael's Chapel, Cwrt-y-Carne stands on South Wales Upper Coal Measures Formation, bedrock that formed in the Westphalian. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone, sandstone, coal, ironstone and ferricrete.