St Clether Holy Well

It is reputed that St Cleder built his hermitage by a spring in the Inny valley, and erected the 4th century granite altar which can still be seen there; the altar is certainly over 1000 years old. The chapel was originally the village church until the Normans built one, on the site of the present church, in the 12th Century. In the 15th Century, the chapel and well were altered so that the water from the holy well ran through the chapel (past the relics of St Cleder behind the altar) and into the well at the front of the chapel where it would be collected by pilgrims. The flow past the relics was thought to increase the healing power of the water. By the end of the 19th century, the chapel was in ruins, with only the altar and some walling remaining, but was rebuilt around 1900.

More about the chapel and holy well.