Our Lady of Sorrows Church or its full name Our Lady of Seven Sorrows Church is a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

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Dolgellau Dolgellau () is a town and community in Gwynedd, north-west Wales, lying on the River Wnion, a tributary of the River Mawddach. It was the traditional county town of the historic county of Merionethshire ( cy, Meirionnydd, Sir Feirionnydd) un ...

Gwynedd Gwynedd (; ) is a county and preserved county (latter with differing boundaries; includes the Isle of Anglesey) in the north-west of Wales. It shares borders with Powys, Conwy County Borough, Denbighshire, Anglesey over the Menai Strait, and C ...

. It was built in 1966 and is a Grade II listed building. It is situated on Meyrick Street close to the centre of town. It is administered in the

Dolgellau Deanery The Dolgellau Deanery is a Roman Catholic deanery in the Diocese of Wrexham that covers several churches in Gwynedd. The dean is centred at Our Lady of Sorrows, Dolgellau Churches * St Tudwal's Church, Barmouth * St David in Seion, Harlech ...

of the

Diocese of Wrexham The Diocese of Wrexham, is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Wales. The diocese is a suffragan in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Cardiff. History The diocese was erecte ...

History

Origins

The founder of the church was Fr. Francis Scalpell, a Maltese priest who was ordained in

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in 1921 and came to

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

in 1926. There, he started the parish of

St Anthony of Padua Anthony of Padua ( it, Antonio di Padova) or Anthony of Lisbon ( pt, António/Antônio de Lisboa; born Fernando Martins de Bulhões; 15 August 1195 – 13 June 1231) was a Portuguese Catholic priest and friar of the Franciscan Order. He was bor ...

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. In 1938, he went to

Haverfordwest Haverfordwest (, ; cy, Hwlffordd ) is the county town of Pembrokeshire, Wales, and the most populous urban area in Pembrokeshire with a population of 14,596 in 2011. It is also a community, being the second most populous community in the county, ...

and came to

a year later.Dolgellau Church of Our Lady of Sorrows
by Ray Cutajar, 2002, retrieved 31 August 2013 At first, there was no place of worship for the local Catholics, so Mass was said in an old stable, with holes in the walls and the roof. Fr. Scalpell himself stayed in the attic of a nearby barn, which also had holes in the roof. Years later, the old stable was repaired, renovated and enlarged by joining it to a building that was previously a

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. During the

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helped with the panelling and the wooden floor.Wales Directory
retrieved 31 August 2013

Foundation

The local Catholic population of the area increased in number during the 1950s, so Fr. Scalpell felt that a new, larger church was required. He wrote over 25,000 letters to people around the world asking for donations for a new church. It is recorded in the parish, that in the early 1960s, a person unknown to the priest and the congregation stayed behind after Mass one Sunday and asked Fr. Scalpell how much more money was required for the new church. Fr. Scalpell stated the sum and the person said that it would be given and promptly left. Two days later, Fr. Scalpell received a letter from a solicitor informing the priest that the benefactor would donate the necessary money if the person remained anonymous and that the church 'must be a fine building, harmonising with its austere, mountainous surroundings.'

Construction

Building work started in 1963 and lasted for four more years and the total cost was £68,000. The architect, Maurice Pritchard and the builders, John Evans and Sons, were all from the local area. The church was built in a Norman style architecture with a crucifix above the main entrance designed by Benigno Mörlin Visconti Castiglione, a sculptor from

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

, who has work displayed in

Milan Cathedral Milan Cathedral ( it, Duomo di Milano ; lmo, Domm de Milan ), or Metropolitan Cathedral-Basilica of the Nativity of Saint Mary ( it, Basilica cattedrale metropolitana di Santa Maria Nascente, links=no), is the cathedral church of Milan, Lombard ...

and

St. Peter's Basilica The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican ( it, Basilica Papale di San Pietro in Vaticano), or simply Saint Peter's Basilica ( la, Basilica Sancti Petri), is a church built in the Renaissance style located in Vatican City, the papal en ...

. The church was opened in September 1966. It was consecrated on 15 May 1967 by the

Bishop of Menevia The Bishop of Menevia is the Ordinary of the Latin Rite Roman Catholic Diocese of Menevia in the Province of Cardiff. The Diocese of Menevia covers an area of roughly consisting of Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Neath Port Talbot, Pembrokeshi ...

John Edward Petit John Edward Petit (22 June 1895 – 2 June 1973) was a Roman Catholic prelate who served as the Bishop of Menevia from 1947 to 1972. Born in London on 22 June 1895, he was ordained to the priesthood on 9 May 1918. He was appointed the Bishop of t ...

Parish

Within the parish is a convent run by the

Carmelites , image = , caption = Coat of arms of the Carmelites , abbreviation = OCarm , formation = Late 12th century , founder = Early hermits of Mount Carmel , founding_location = Mount Car ...

, Mass is said there by the local priest at 5pm every Sunday. Sunday Masses are held in the church in the morning at 9:00am.

Gallery

File:Crucifix outside Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows Church, Dolgellau.JPG, Crucifix by Benigno Mörlin Visconti Castiglione File:Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows Church, Dolgellau Sign.JPG, Church sign File:Interior of Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows Church, Dolgellau.JPG, Interior File:Lady chapel of Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows Church, Dolgellau.JPG, Lady Chapel

References

External links

Dolgellau Parish siteArtwork at Our Lady of Seven Sorrows Church, Dolgellau
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dolgellau, Our Lady of Seven Sorrows Church Grade II listed churches in Gwynedd Roman Catholic churches completed in 1963 Our Lady of Seven Sorrows Church Roman Catholic churches in Wales Grade II listed Roman Catholic churches in Wales Romanesque Revival church buildings in the United Kingdom 1963 establishments in Wales 20th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the United Kingdom