| St Govan's Chapel | |
| Religious Affiliation: | Christianity |
| Patron: | St Govan |
| Location: | St Govan's Head, Pembrokeshire, Wales |
| Map Type: | Wales Pembrokeshire |
| Coordinates: | 51.5987°N -4.9368°W |
| Year Completed: | 13th century |
| Designation1: | UK Grade I |
| Designation1 Offname: | St. Govan's Chapel |
| Designation1 Date: | 8 February 1996 |
| Designation1 Number: | 17980 |
St Govan's Chapel is a chapel located at St Govan's Head, Pembrokeshire in south west Wales.
Built into the side of a limestone cliff, the building measures 20feetx12feetft (xft) with walls constructed from limestone, and consists of two chambers, one in the front and one in the back.[1] The majority of the chapel was built in the thirteenth century, although parts of it may date back further to the sixth century when Saint Govan, a monk, moved into a cave located on the site of the chapel. One legend suggests that Saint Govan is buried underneath the chapel's altar, located at the east end of the building.[2] The entrance to the building is via a doorway on the north side, low stone benches run along the north and south walls and an empty bell-cote is located at the west end. The slate roof is suspected to be a modern addition compared to the rest of the building.
The building is accessible from the clifftop by climbing down a set of 52 steps,[3] although tourist organisations propagate the legend that when counted, the number of steps differs between going down and going back up.[4]
The building was listed with Grade I status on 8 February 1996. The chapel is within the Castlemartin Military Training Area and is sometimes inaccessible because of military activity.[5]
The chapel was used as a location in episodes 1–3 of the third series of the BBC drama His Dark Materials.
Under the chapel is a huge cave system, Ogof Gofan, containing a "cathedral-like structure", accessible only by abseiling down the cliff. The cave was re-discovered in 1966, but it had been used by people for thousands of years, from when the sea was miles from the cave mouth.[6]