St. Mary’s Church sits on a hillside high above the village of Tintern in the beautiful Wye Valley. It is not far from the more famous ruins of Tintern Abbey, and is a short but steep walk up from there. It is not sign-posted as visiting is not encouraged due to the nature of the ruin. You can access it but do so at your own risk. St Mary’s was originally built for the lay tenants of Tintern Abbey. Prior to the Cistercians the Celts knew the site as Llanandras and dedicated their wooden church to either a legendary 5th century Welsh saint St Andras or the apostle St Andrew. Built around the 14th to 15th century it was active until 1972. Empty it was being used as shelter overnight by three travellers when it caught fire. Only one made it out. Beautiful but eerie, it is a fantastic place to visit.