It is believed that King Brychan established a court in this area around the beginning of the fifth century and subsequently sent his children to be educated at St. Gastyn on the other side of the Lake.   An eighth century Charter claims that King Awst of Brycheiniog gave a royal estate, corresponding to the parish of Llangors, to Bishop Euddogwy.  It also records the donation by Awst of his own and his son’s bodies to the church for burial, indicating that Llangors church could have been a royal burial ground. Archaeologists have identified numerous relics and burials dating to the eighth century. 

Llangors Church was founded in the sixth century by St. Paulinus.  He was born Paul Aurelian, the son of a Welsh nobleman and educated by St. Illtyd at his school in Llantwit Major.  We know he wished to serve God “in the uninterrupted life of contemplation” and founded a monastic settlement in Llanddeusant near Llandovery before coming to Llangors and building a monastery or church in the shadow of Mynydd Troed.  The nearby parish of Llanhamlach was dedicated to his old tutor St. Illtyd and, maybe, this had played some part in his choosing Llangors.

The first reference to a church building is in 1211 when Bishop Barnard of St. David’s lent support to the monks of Brecon in a dispute about their church at Llangors.  At the rear of the south aisle are fragments of Early Christian Stones dating from the seventh to the ninth century.  In medieval times the church was associated with Brecon Priory (now Brecon cathedral) who received the church tithes. The Church seems to have been dedicated to St Mary and St Paulinus until the Reformation, but since then only the second dedication has remained.  There are two other churches dedicated to St. Mary in the area.

This is a medieval church substantially enlarged and remodelled in fifteenth century by the addition of a large south aisle and west tower. Restored 1874 by T Nicholson when the sanctuary was added; the beautiful barrel roof in the south aisle was retained together with the Tudor doorway, windows and priest’s door in the south wall, and font. The church has a late Medieval Perpendicular aspect, a nave with a fifteenth century west tower, a chancel wholly rebuilt in 1874, south aisle and vestry.  Doubt exists as to whether the sanctuary was a replacement or original, if it were a replacement it would imply that the medieval church had a double aisle.  The nave is narrower than the chancel but only on one side suggesting that part of the chancel wall contains a former south aisle.

The walls are constructed from Red Devonian Sandstone while the roof is slated with a yellow ceramic Victorian dog tooth ridge profile.

The tower has a flagstone floor and a barrel vaulted ceiling.  The nave again has a flagged floor though tiled at the front with grave slabs of 1763 and 1795 used as flooring between the arches of the arcade.  The walls are plastered and whitewashed, the nineteenth century roof is of close braced collars with scissor struts.  The chancel sits two steps above the nave and has a tiled floor save for boarding underneath the choir stalls.  There is a late medieval wagon roof.  The nave and the chancel do not entirely line up as it would appear that the nave and chancel were once one through structure but the nave is now off centred. This is described as a “weeping sanctuary” which is a common reference to the fact that Christ's head leaned to one side on the cross.

A nineteenth century pine altar with regular frame and plain top, its front has three bays with tracery on base of the rails. The altar stands in front of an Oak screen reredos backing with centre panel depicting the Last Supper. There is an oak communion rail on oak standards and bottom rail, tracer brackets to supports.

In the nave there is an octagonal stone pulpit with traceried panels and an octagonal font with carved underside on a circular plinth circa 1300 with oak lid dated 1897.

The church has six bells and mass dial.

A complete set of bells was provided in 1721 by the Evans foundry of Chepstow, recast from five old bells at a cost of £55.  In order to raise the money the vestry agreed to levy a rate in two yearly instalments.  In the second year the vicar, John Lloyd (whose name appears on the tenor bell) refused to pay and as a result the churchwardens sued the vicar in the Consistory Court.  The case was eventually decided in favour of the churchwardens on 22^nd October 1724.  Unfortunately the fittings, frame and tower will not now stand the strain of the bells being rung full circle and so they have not been so rung for some time.

The organ is of great historical and musical significance, one of the most significant survivors of early Georgian organs in Great Britain.  There are very few organs in this country where one can capture the original sound of the eighteenth century.  This is one of them - one of the earliest, with some of the least altered pipework of the period.  It was made for the Cardiff parish church of St John the Baptist by Renatus Harris in 1720 and acquired by Llangors in 1903, and is still in use to this day.

There is a wooden plaque with list of incumbents and a large oak panelled plaque dedicated to those who died in the Great War. The church registers date from 1692.

The Church is always open and has easy access.

Churchyard

Grade II listed monuments

Monument to east to Diana wife of Thomas Powell of Tregunter died 1841, also Mary daughter died 1842, Ann daughter died 1837, Thomas Powell died 1884. Monument to west to Howell Powell died 1836, wife Anne died 1850 and son also Howell died 1862, of Crickie, a farm north east of Llangors.  Crickie being a long standing Anglicisation of Crugiau.  Crickie is separately listed and the dated mid nineteenth century farm buildings were probably built during this family's ownership. 

Group of two chest tombs.  That to east to Thomas and Diana Powell is tall with tapered sides with decorative corners, inscription panels north and south, north the earliest; deep cornice swept up to a large urn finial; four stone feet on a stone slab within a rectangular stone kerb.  To west is the longer rectangular chest tomb of sandstone to Howell Powell and others, with metal feet with inscriptions on three sides, earliest to south; a plain design with simple raised corner bands and narrow plinth, standing on a stone slab. 

Early nineteenth century monument commemorating a family of Pencelli, inscription partly illegible records Hannah daughter of William... Anne Maria; later inscription to James Lewis of the Ebbw Vale Iron Co died 1856. Monument by Phillips of Talgarth. 

An unusual pier-shaped monument of pale ashlar surmounted by a small iron urn finial.  Stands on a stone base on a plinth; the pier is slightly tapered from its own plinth moulding ending in an overhanging cornice with small shallow pediments to each face; each side of the pier has a tapered projecting inscription panel, the primary inscription on the east.

Those commemorated are Jane daughter of Edward and Elizabeth Watkeys of Heol-las Cathedine died 1851 aged 14; also Edward of Upper Pendre died 1878 and Elizabeth died 1881. 

Plain rectangular table tomb of sandstone with main inscription panel with recessed border on south face; added inscription panel to east; shallow attached fluted columns at corners.