Medieval church now dedicated to Ilid and Curig. Curig (Quiricus) was a child martyr of Tarsus whose mother, Julitta, was attested as the patron of the church in the twelfth century.

Considerable uncertainty surrounds the medieval patron of the church and origin of the place-name Llanilid. It is possible that Ilid was not a personal name but a geographical feature of some kind, although a saint Ilith or Tylith is recorded with reference to the church in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. Forms of Ilid are associated with the church and place-name from the sixteenth century, and the saint has been identified amongst the many daughters of Brychan, who was linked to the area in a thirteenth-century source.

in other twelfth- and thirteenth-century sources Julitta is also clearly named as the patron of the church. At other churches she is a joint patron with her son Curig, and Curig is recorded as joint patron of the church in a sixteenth-century source.

While Curig is not associated with the church in the earliest sources, some confusion between a presumably local figure and the international saint Julitta is evident from the earliest references. However, if a cult of Julitta was based here in the medieval period, it is still likely that Curig would have held a significant place in the devotion and imagery of the church. Browne Willis gives a date of 16 July for the feast day (and a dedication of St Julitt), which is the feast day that he gives for Curig at Capel Curig in North Wales.

More information

National Monuments Record
Church Heritage Cymru

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