of for vegetation in the British Isles, but palm trees? Palm trees and Celtic Crosses mixed?
Revised 12 August 2008, changing Illtyd to Illtud to conform to spelling at the church's website.
Palm Trees and Celtic Crosses
The background makes reading a bit difficult. My apologies, but I couldn't resist. The cool green and yellow (cool blue, green and yellow by the sea) characterizes the place. The colors are what many might think
of for vegetation in the British Isles, but palm trees? Palm trees and Celtic Crosses mixed?
Well, right in the parks where St. David's flower, the Daffodil, blooms against cool green grass are plam trees - of sorts. Not coconut palms, but still trees associated with much more southerly latitudes than the 50º and higher latitudes of Wales.
The Gulf Stream pumps vast amounts of warm water to the north and the southerly current of the gyre loses heat to warm those northerly latitudes. If that pump ever stops, as geological evidence shows it has in rather short time periods, Europe becomes an ice sheet again. Oddly enough, there is some evidence that global warming can stop the priming of the pump so maybe we should stand by for a disaster movie in real life. Anyway, for now we have something unexpected for many. Palm trees among the Celtic Crosses.
Saint Illtud's Church
Well, here they are. This is Saint Illtud's Church (also sometimes Saint Illtyd's Church) at Llantwit Major. The saint founded a monastery here in about the year 500. The name of the town derives from Llan (meaning an enclosure with a church) Illtud Fawr or "Great Church centre of Illtud." The church is in two sections with the oldest dating from about 1100.
Saint Illtud's churchyard and interior
Renovation had uncovered wall paintings from 1300 - 1500. The church and churchyard have Celtic Crosses. One, preserved inside the West Church, is dated at the year 800 or earlier. There are a number of tombs belonging to local chieftains and kings so that the brochure describes the little church as "a local Westminster Abbey." The Rectorial Benefice of Llantwit Major website has some photographs and information about the church and activities.
Saint Illtud's Interior
Saint Illtud's Church is mentioned near the bottom of one of Bruce McDonald's Glamorgan Walks pages, Local Features Vale. The clickable photograph shows the church and churchyard.
Actually, palms aren't just found with the crosses in churchyards. A beautiful park, Bute Park, next to Cardiff Castle has some fine exapmles set among traditional plants and landscape and Cedars of Lebanon.
Bute Park, Cardiff