St Catharine's Church is a Grade I listed building, built between 1875 and 1882. The church was constructed in the Decorated Gothic style, and dressed with Forest of Dean sandstone. John Prichard, Llandaff's diocesan architect, who also worked on the restoration of Llandaff Cathedral, was heavily involved in the design project, although the building work was superintended by a local architect named John Jones. It replaced the older St Baglan's Church, a pre-Norman building that was largely destroyed by a fire in 1954.
The interior uses Quarella stone, Forest of Dean sandstone and 'Penarth' alabaster to create a polychromatic effect. The chancel is decorated with bands of marble and has a marble floor inlaid with Italian mosaic tiles. A brass memorial plaque commemorates Griffith Llewellyn and his wife Madelina (née Grenfell), both of whom are buried in the churchyard, close to the ruins of the original Saint Baglan's church.
Stained glass windows in the church include designs by William Morris (St Cecilia with Musical Angels) and Edward Burne-Jones (Crucifixion with the Virgin Mary and St John), as well as a Celtic Studios design installed in 1972.
References:
Sigmaringen Castle was first mentioned in the year 1077 in the chronicles of Petershausen monastery. The oldest parts of the castle are concealed beneath the alterations made during the 17th and the 19th centuries. The secret of the earliest settlement built on this defendable rock will never be fully revealed: large-scale excavation work would be necessary, which the extensive land development renders impossible. Judging from the many Roman remains unearthed in the area around Sigmaringen, the 12th century keep known as the 'Roman Tower' could be traced back to a Roman predecessor.
The castle remains that have been preserved (gate, great hall and keep) date back to the Staufer period around 1200. The castle remains were integrated into subsequent buildings. The foundations of the castle buildings are to a large extent identical to the surrounding castle wall.
These remains give us a good idea of how the castle might have looked during the 12th century.