The Holy Mountain - Skirrid Fawr - Ysgyrid Fawr

©

The Skirrid mountain, in Welsh Ysgyrid Fawr, known also as St Michael's Mount and The Holy Mountain, a prominent object for many miles around, rises precipitously above the village.

The highest spot is 486 metres (1595) feet above sea level here can be traced the walls of an ancient chapel, called St Michael's. Chapel. The length from east to west is 25 feet and the breadth 20 feet.

There is no record of the history of the chapel, however, its origins are very ancient, sited where three parishes meet. The parishes are Llanddewi Skirrid, Llantilio Pertholey and Llanvihangel Crucorney. The Welsh name for Llanvihangel Curcorney is Llanfihangel Cruf Cornel, Crug signifying a rock or hill, referring to the Skirrid Mountain and Cornel being the Welsh for Corner. Llanfihangel means the Church of St Michael. The Catholics of the neighbourhood at one time used this mountain chapel. Mr Arnold in his examination (Examinations as to Popery, etc. 1680) said:

'He hath seen a hundred papists meet on the top of an high Hill, called St Michael's Mount, here is frequent meetings eight or ten times in the year, as he is informed. Mass is said, and sometimes Sermons are preached there. Mr John Scudamore of Kentchurch also deposed that: - He saw very great numbers of people at their Devotion on the top of a high hill in Monmouthshire called St Michael's Mount, where there is a ruinous Chappel and a stone with crosses on it, which he took to be an Alter and that he hath seen people with Beads in their Hands kneeling towards the said stone, both within and without the Chappel and he has been informed that Mass is often said there.'

©

The foundations of the ancient chapel can be plainly seen and in the doorway on the south side are two upright stones about two feet high with chamfered edges, all that remains of the doorway.

One of the routes to the summit is an ancient ascent route that provided a direct way up to St Michael's Chapel and most likely used by the pilgrims who struggled up the Skirrid centuries ago. On Good Fridays and on St Michael's Day (29 September) they came in large numbers. This path is not as steep as the direct northerly route and brings you up onto the ridge about 200 odd metres south of the summit. On Good Friday in 1972, with the permission of the National Trust, the young people of St Teilo's Church at Llantilio Pertholey together with the youth of all denominations in Abergavenny held a procession and service. They left St Teilo's Church carrying a large cross weighing 60 lbs. Between 80 and 90 teenagers took turns to carry the cross along the old pilgrim route to the summit were it was erected and an inter-denominational service was held.

The local community afforded a holy status to Skirrid Fawr and within living memory some farmers whose cattle were suffering with various ailments would visit the landslide ravine and fill a sack with 'holy' soil to spread on the floors of their byres in the belief that their livestock would be cured. To this day Skirrid Fawr is referred to locally as the Holy Mountain.