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St Ellyw's Church is a redundant church in the village of Llanelieu, Powys. There is a tradition that Saint Ellyw was a granddaughter of King Brychan, the 5th-century king of Brycheiniog.
The church dates from the 13th century with additions in the 15th century. The south porch was built in the 16th century. In 1905 Baldwins of Brecon carried out a restoration, and added a bell turret. Further repairs were undertaken in 1981.
It is constructed in sandstone rubble and has a slate roof. Its plan consists of a single undivided cell with a south porch and a gabled bell turret at the west end. Immediately to the east of the porch is a blocked medieval door and there is a narrow priest's door dating from the 13th century further to the east. The windows on the north side of the church are lancets while those on the south side, and at the east and west ends, are two-light windows.
The floor of the church is stone-flagged, and there is a one-step rise between the nave and the chancel. Between them is a 14th-century rood screen complete with its loft. The loft is painted blood red, and it has quatrefoil openings to allow a view of the altar from it. The plastered walls of the church exhibit a variety of paintings, some from the medieval period, and some from the post-Reformation era. On the west wall are depictions of Adam and Eve standing on each side of a tree, and elsewhere are flower patterns, all probably dating from the medieval period. Later paintings include biblical texts, creeds, commandments, royal arms, and figures with drapery. The sanctuary is paved with tomb slabs and contains a double piscina on the east wall and an aumbry in the south wall. The font is octagonal with a 17th-century oak cover. The pulpit dates from the early 18th century. There are two oak pews from the 17th-18th century. On the walls are memorial tablets.
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.