St Peter’s Church, Llanbedr-y-cennin

Link to French translationSt Peter’s Church, Llanbedr-y-cennin

There is a long tradition of Christian worship at this hillside location in the Conwy Valley. The current building dates largely from around the 14th century. It was restored in 1842.

The font bowl inside the church is medieval, possibly from the 13th century. At the rear are raised benches, where poor children were once educated. In his will of 1718, The Rev Launcelot Bulkeley made provision for a Charter School where six boys would receive free lessons.

On display in a case in the church is a copy of a Welsh-language Bible from 1620. Copies were printed for 800 churches following work by Bishop Richard Parry and Dr John Davies to update the original Welsh translation. This copy was known as the “Miller’s Bible” because it passed into the ownership – probably in the late 18th century – of a miller called Shôn Ffidl Dwrch, who was also the church’s sexton (looking after the church and churchyard). Multi-tasking Shôn also caught moles and played the fiddle, hence his colloquial name. Mole is twrch in Welsh.

The Lord’s Prayer and Creed are written in Welsh on boards in the church. A striking stained-glass portrait of Christ as the Good Shepherd fills the east window aperture. It was made by Henry Gustave Hiller in 1907.

Aldwyth Katrin Williams was the church’s organist in the early 20th century. She was the only daughter of the Rev Robert Williams, rector of Llanbedr-y-cennin. For almost the duration of the First World War she volunteered at Red Cross military hospitals in Llandudno, travelling there three times a week to treat wounded servicemen. She contracted  influenza in 1918 and died, aged 26, shortly before the Armistice. Her grave is on the Great Orme.

Postcode: LL32 8JB     View Location Map

Parish website

 
 

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