The picturesque whitewashed church at Mwnt dedicated to the Holy Cross just as a touch of sunshine was spreading across a overcast, cloudy & murky sky.
Though the present church building dates to the 14th century, there has been a church in this spot since the Age of the Saints (roughly 410-700 AD). The dedication to Holy Cross is probably a reference to a tradition that a tall stone cross once stood atop Foel y Mwnt, the conical hill that rises directly behind the church. The cross would have been used as a focal point for preaching the Christian message.
The cross would also have been visible for many miles, attracting pilgrims who drew their boats up on the sandy beach at the base of the cliffs.
Mwnt gained such a reputation amongst early Christians that it became a stopping place for the bodies of saints being transported to Bardsey Island for burial. Mwnt's location also made it a convenient resting place for pilgrims en route to St David's, further down the coast.
We do not know exactly when the present building was erected; it may have been as early as the 13th Century.
In 1155 a force of Fleming soldiers landed at Mwnt but were repulsed by the local Welsh after fierce fighting. Skeletons of buried soldiers were exposed by farming near the churchyard. A stream running nearby still bears the name Nant y Fflymon, or the Flemings' Brook.
When Methodism was introduced to Wales they found a ready audience at Mwnt.
Clergymen with Methodist beliefs were invited to preach at Mwnt, which was then, as now, an Anglican church.
