This little church sits in a small island of greenery, surrounded by the modern suburbs of Barry, a mile inland from the docks and well-known Barry Island.
The origins of the church are both colourful and disputed: until relatively recently, it laid claim to be the oldest Christian site in Wales, on the assumption that the name referred to the resting place of St Deruvian, one of two priests (the other being St Fagan) sent by the Pope in the second century AD to convert King Lucius of the Britons. (Merthyr means "martyr" in Welsh, and can also mean 'Martyrium" denoting the burial site of a martyr.) However, apart from the fact that the story of King Lucius is itself now regarded as a pious legend, the connection between Deruvian and Merthyr Dyfan was one made in the 18th Century by the Welsh antiquarian Edward Williams (also known as "Iolo Morganwg"), much of whose work has subsequently been discredited as being based on forgeries.
Whatever the myth and legend, there is good evidence for there being a thriving village here in the mediaeval period, and the current nave and chancel date from the 13th Century: Bishop William de Burgh of Llandaff is recorded as consecrating the church in 1250. The tower was a later addition (possibly 16th century), along with some 15th century windows. The cosy interior is whitewashed and homely, with a chamfered pointed arch to the chancel and tower, and an ancient tub font.
In recent years, the church has been subject to periodic vandalism, but is maintained by a faithful congregation, with a weekly sung mass, and is now part of the United Benefice of Barry.
SS Dyfnog & Teilo, Merthyr Dyfan Road, CF62 9TJ
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