St Melangell's Church, Powys Traditional Cache
St Melangell's Church, Powys
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(regular)
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A small clip-down box hidden beside the church of St Melangell deep
in the Powys countryside.
St Melangell's is one of the loveliest small churches in Britain,
and one of the most remote. Its famous shrine and the Saint
Melangell Centre close by attract many visitors, but not enough to
disturb its tranquillity.
Melangell was a female saint of the 7th century. According to
tradition she came here from Ireland and lived as a hermit in the
valley. One day Brochwel, Prince of Powys, was hunting and pursued
a hare which took refuge under Melangell's cloak. The Prince's
hounds fled, and he was moved by her courage and sanctity. He gave
her the valley as a place of sanctuary, and Melangell became Abbess
of a small religious community. After her death her memory
continued to be honoured, and Pennant Melangell has been a place of
pilgrimage for many centuries. Melangell remains the patron saint
of hares.
There has been a Christian Church here for over 1200 years. Its
setting, in a place of great beauty deep in the Berwyn Mountains,
is peaceful and unspoilt. The church stands in a round churchyard,
once a Bronze Age site, ringed by ancient yew trees estimated to be
two thousand years old. Parts of the building date from the 12th
Century though the most recent, a rebuilding of the apse on its
original foundations, was completed only in 1990. The impression is
still that of a simple Norman church, well loved and beautified
over the years.
The cache may be found very close to the church. There is a small
prize waiting for the first to find! Please be sensitive to the
fact that this place is used as a peaceful retreat for people at
the nearby centre, and take care to rehide the cache carefully
after you have found it. Thank you!
PLEASE REMEMBER that travel bugs and geocoins (trackable items) are
the property of person who they are registered to and therefore are
not swap items. If you wish to take a swap item in this cache,
please replace it with an item of your own. Many thanks!
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Ol gur gehax, haqre n gvyr naq fbzr ebpxbsyntr.