When the religious revival swept through Wales chapels were the hub of every village and town, with congregations transfixed by the fiery sermons of impassioned preachers.

Ministers such as Evan Roberts, who led the Nonconformist revival in 1904-05, gained celebrity status in communities across the South Wales Valleys.

But the awakening that saw more than 100,000 people pledge their faith in Jesus Christ left a physical as well as a spiritual legacy.

Chapel building was boosted by the movement a young David Lloyd George said was “rocking Welsh life like a great earthquake”.

Earlier in the 19th century Wales saw a great wave of chapel building linked to the growth in nonconformism.

During this period it has been estimated that on average a chapel was being built every eight days.

Such was the enthusiasm of the builders it is thought that the combined seating capacities of all these chapels may have exceeded the number of people actually living in Wales.

Chapel preservation group Capel estimates that at their height there were around 4,500 in Wales.

But with religion in decline across much of Europe the chapels that sprung up in an age dominated by faith have in recent years been to rapidly disappearing.

Secretary of Capel the Reverend Peter Jennings estimates that a third of the stock of Welsh chapels – around 1,500 – have been lost.

Mr Jennings, based in Llandudno, says that if an alternative use cannot be found for a chapel – many end up being converted into homes – it’s better for them to be demolished.

The cleric, 75, said: “The time comes when a chapel is no longer supporting a community and the community is no longer supporting a chapel. It might as well go.”

Mr Jennings says giving a chapel listed building status to preserve it is often the kiss of death.

Listed status can prevent the kind of changes to the interior of the buildings that give them hope of finding new uses, he said.

He believes too many Welsh chapels (around 15%) are listed. He is extremely critical of what he terms “malicious listing” of chapels following campaigns led by people with only historic links to the buildings.

Mr Jennings, who says one of the prime concerns of Capel is to ensure chapel records of births, marriages and deaths survive even if the buildings go, said: “Very often these churches have been listed maliciously because somebody says, ‘Well, they’re not closing my church. My grandad built this church and I live in Australia, but they’re not going to close my church’.”

Richard Paterson, chair of the Cardiff Humanists’ group, says they have tried to use chapels for their funeral services, but often face rejection.

Mr Paterson said that although he regards chapels as relics of the oppressive influence religion once had on Wales the buildings should survive where possible.

Mr Paterson, 68, said: “The nonconformist religion that was carried on in a lot of these chapels was a very restrictive and oppressive force.

“But we acknowledge chapels were very much the centre of people’s social lives and played an important role in preserving the language and they were the only community centres that existed at the time.”

While the influence of religion has been in decline in Wales in recent decades Mr Paterson said humanist services have flourished.

He maintains around 1,000 humanist funeral services are held annually in Wales, compared to about 100 a decade or so ago.

Retired civil servant Mr Paterson, from Machen, in Caerphilly, added: “Very often there are not suitable places available for humanist ceremonies to be held – occasionally enlightened trustees of some chapels will allow us to use their chapels, but often they will not.

“It would be nice to think that some of the better examples of chapels could be given that new secular role in the community, which would be a useful way of perpetuating the best of their legacy.”

Lay preacher with the Union of Welsh Independents Alun Lenny, who would welcome humanist services in chapels, said many buildings suffer because congregations refuse to embrace any kind of change.

Mr Lenny, who is a Plaid Cymru councillor in Carmarthen, said when small congregations are forced to choose between using their limited funds to preserve a building or do good work in a community they should only make one choice.

The 59-year-old former journalist said: “I appreciate it’s very difficult because members, their families and their forebears have been coming to that chapel over the years and obviously people feel an attachment to the building and it’s a great wrench when a building closes.”

Mr Lenny, preacher and secretary at Bwlch-y-Corn chapel, near Carmarthen, said: “But ultimately the church is the community of believers that meet in any area and it’s work is greater than any building.”