Chapels · Mid Wales
Capel Eidalwyr
In or near Llandysul.
Capel Eidalwyr — chapel in Henllan, Ceredigion, Wales.
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Wikimedia Commons contributors — see linked file page for photographer and licence licence
Plan your visit
- Typical visit
- 20 min–45 min
- Nearest railway station
- Henllan High Level · 0.5 km
- Paid entry
- Family-friendly
Getting there & planning your visit
To visit Capel Eidalwyr in Mid Wales, the nearest railway station is Henllan High Level, located 0.5 km away. Entry to the chapel is free. The postcode for sat-nav is SA44 5AN.
About
Capel Eidalwyr is a chapel in the United Kingdom. Heritage designation: Grade II* listed building. Wikidata describes it as: "chapel in Henllan, Ceredigion, Wales". Coordinates: 52.0356°, -4.3972°.
Photo gallery
Official information
Capel Eidalwyr is a historical site that served as a POW camp during World War II, housing over 1,200 Italian prisoners. Visitors can see the converted Catholic church and other structures from that era, including the old medical centre and the Water Tower.
From the Wikipedia article
Capel Eidalwyr is a Roman Catholic chapel located on the site of a POW camp at Henllan, Ceredigion, Wales. The chapel was established in a former dormitory by Italian prisoners of war, and was decorated mainly by Mario Ferlito. Now disused, and in some disrepair, the chapel is a Grade II* listed building, described in its Cadw record as a "unique and unusually elaborate example".
Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.
Background
History
The chapel was the inspiration of Don Ital Padoan, a priest interned at Henllan. Given permission by the camp authorities to convert a Nissen hut previously in use as a dormitory, the prisoners used readily-available materials, including wood from packing cases, empty tinned-food containers, roofing felt and cement bags. Paint was extracted from natural dyes and the painting was principally undertaken by Mario Ferlito. The chapel was formally consecrated in 1944. Felito returned to the camp with seven other former prisoners in 1977.{{efn|Mario Ferlito died in 2008, aged 86, at his home in Ornavasso, Italy. The chapel is open for visits by prior appointment.
Architecture
Thomas Lloyd, Julian Orbach and Robert Scourfield, in their Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion volume of the Pevsner Buildings of Wales series, consider the interior decoration of the chapel, "the most remarkable home-made Baroque crafted of scrap materials." The apse is decorated with a fresco of the Last Supper, and the walls with roundels illustrated in a Baroque style. Further decoration is provided by concrete wall mouldings, scraped and painted to resemble marble. Capel Eidalwyr is a Grade II* listed building, its Cadw record describing it as a "unique and unusually elaborate example of a P.O.W. Chapel in Wales”.
Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Coordinates
- 52.0356, -4.3972
- District
- Ceredigion
- Parish
- Llandyfriog
- Postcode
- SA44 5AN
- Parliamentary constituency
- Ceredigion Preseli
- Phone
- +44 7964 404 133
- Established
- 1940
- Nearest railway station
- Henllan High Level — 0.5 km
- Official site
- henllanpowcamp70.com
Sources
- wikidata: Q17743888 (CC0)
- wikipedia: Capel Eidalwyr (CC BY-SA 4.0)
- commons: Italian church, Henllan POW camp (geograph 4727056).jpg (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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Rheilffordd Dyffryn Teifi (Teifi Valley Railway)
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Frequently asked questions
- Where is Capel Eidalwyr?
- Capel Eidalwyr is in Mid Wales, United Kingdom (postcode SA44 5AN), in the parish of Llandyfriog.
- What is Capel Eidalwyr?
- Capel Eidalwyr — chapel in Henllan, Ceredigion, Wales.
- How do I get to Capel Eidalwyr?
- The nearest railway station is Henllan High Level, about 0.5 km away. Drivers can use postcode SA44 5AN.
- When was Capel Eidalwyr built?
- Built or established in 1940.
- Is Capel Eidalwyr a listed building?
- Capel Eidalwyr is officially recognised as Grade II* listed building listed.
- Is Capel Eidalwyr free to visit?
- Yes, Capel Eidalwyr is free to enter.
- How do I get to Capel Eidalwyr?
- The nearest railway station is Henllan High Level, about 0.5 km away. Drivers can navigate to postcode SA44 5AN.