The Coptic Orthodox Church in Wales has two churches in

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

. The first is in

South Wales South Wales ( cy, De Cymru) is a loosely defined region of Wales bordered by England to the east and mid Wales to the north. Generally considered to include the historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire, south Wales extends westwards ...

and the other in

North Wales , area_land_km2 = 6,172 , postal_code_type = Postcode , postal_code = LL, CH, SY , image_map1 = Wales North Wales locator map.svg , map_caption1 = Six principal areas of Wales common ...

Historical background

Missionary work of the Church of Alexandria (3rd and 4th centuries)

The

ecclesiastical history __NOTOC__ Church history or ecclesiastical history as an academic discipline studies the history of Christianity and the way the Christian Church has developed since its inception. Henry Melvill Gwatkin defined church history as "the spiritual ...

of the

Church of Alexandria The Church of Alexandria in Egypt is the Christian Church headed by the Patriarch of Alexandria. It is one of the original Apostolic Sees of Christianity, alongside Rome, Antioch, Constantinople and Jerusalem. Tradition holds that the Church of ...

records that the Church sent

missionaries A missionary is a member of a religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thomas Hale 'On Being a Mi ...

, especially monastics, to the Celtic lands in the 3rd or 4th century.

Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language * Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Fo ...

tradition, especially in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

, suggests that the foundation of the monastic system among the

Celts The Celts (, see pronunciation for different usages) or Celtic peoples () are. "CELTS location: Greater Europe time period: Second millennium B.C.E. to present ancestry: Celtic a collection of Indo-European peoples. "The Celts, an ancien ...

either partly imitated or took inspiration from the

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

ian

monastic Monasticism (from Ancient Greek , , from , , 'alone'), also referred to as monachism, or monkhood, is a religion, religious way of life in which one renounces world (theology), worldly pursuits to devote oneself fully to spiritual work. Monastic ...

system, and that traces of Alexandrine theology remain embedded in Celtic theology. Thus both Coptic Christians and Celts can see the return of the

to Celtia as of significance.

Modern presence

Although the Coptic Orthodox congregation has been present in Wales since the 1960s, the first Coptic Orthodox Church in Wales was consecrated in 1992 by

Pope Shenouda III of Alexandria Pope Shenouda III (; cop, Ⲡⲁⲡⲁ Ⲁⲃⲃⲁ Ϣⲉⲛⲟⲩϯ ⲅ̅ '; ar, بابا الإسكندرية شنودة الثالث '; 3 August 1923 – 17 March 2012) was the List of Coptic Orthodox Popes of Alexandria, 117th ...

in the town of

Risca Risca ( cy, Rhisga) is a town in the Caerphilly County Borough and the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire in south-east Wales. Risca has a railway station, opened on the Ebbw Valley Railway in February 2008, after a gap of 46 years. It is spl ...

, South Wales. Currently there are two

Coptic Orthodox The Coptic Orthodox Church ( cop, Ϯⲉⲕ̀ⲕⲗⲏⲥⲓⲁ ⲛ̀ⲣⲉⲙⲛ̀ⲭⲏⲙⲓ ⲛ̀ⲟⲣⲑⲟⲇⲟⲝⲟⲥ, translit=Ti.eklyseya en.remenkimi en.orthodoxos, lit=the Egyptian Orthodox Church; ar, الكنيسة القبطي� ...

Churches in Wales.

St Mary and St Mercurius Coptic Orthodox Church

The first Coptic Orthodox Church in Wales was consecrated in 1992 by Pope Shenouda III of Alexandria in the town of Risca, South Wales, as a church of the

Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria The Coptic Orthodox Church ( cop, Ϯⲉⲕ̀ⲕⲗⲏⲥⲓⲁ ⲛ̀ⲣⲉⲙⲛ̀ⲭⲏⲙⲓ ⲛ̀ⲟⲣⲑⲟⲇⲟⲝⲟⲥ, translit=Ti.eklyseya en.remenkimi en.orthodoxos, lit=the Egyptian Orthodox Church; ar, الكنيسة القبطي� ...

. The official name of the church is St Mary's and St Abu Saifain's Coptic Orthodox Church. The Church building was a Former Wesleyan

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...

church. Founded in 1837, it was rebuilt on same site on 1852 and dedicated to St John. Architect not known, the church was designed to seat 600. The parish was later known as Trinity Methodist Church.Jones A V, Risca, its Industrial and Social Development, 1977 The church is a listed historic building (Grade II) for its well preserved architectural interest, its unusual slender arcades and especially for its fine decorative frontage. The interior was partly converted to Coptic Orthodox liturgical use. Unusual aisled roof structure, wooden trusses rising from posts set on the very tall slender marbled columns with Corinthian derived capitals, which also support the high round arches of a wooden arcade; painted boarded ceiling. Wide moulded

reredos A reredos ( , , ) is a large altarpiece, a screen, or decoration placed behind the altar in a church. It often includes religious images. The term ''reredos'' may also be used for similar structures, if elaborate, in secular architecture, for ex ...

arch and gallery. Rear raked gallery with curved and panelled front; pews on both floors retained. Vestibule has glazed panels to partition and swing doors with quarry glazing incorporating

Art Nouveau Art Nouveau (; ) is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. The style is known by different names in different languages: in German, in Italian, in Catalan, and also known as the Modern ...

motifs. The current

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...

is Father Philopater Wahba This church is under the direct supervision of Pope Shenouda III of

Alexandria Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandria ...

and he is the head of the Church's council.

Saint Mary and Saint Abasikhyron Coptic Orthodox Church

The second Coptic Orthodox Church in Llandudno

was bought by the Coptic Orthodox

Diocese of the Midlands The Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Midlands, UK is under the care of Bishop Missael. Background and Foundation In 1991 the first Coptic Orthodox Diocese to be established in the United Kingdom, and one of the first in the diaspora, was the Dioce ...

in 2005 under the supervision of

Bishop Missael Bishop Missael (born 1940) is a diocesan bishop of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria consecrated by Pope Shenouda III on 26 May 1991 to oversee the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Midlands, U.K. In this capacity, he is a member of The H ...

services began there later that year. At first the Church did not have its own

, therefore the mass was held there on Saturdays by a visiting priest, Father Bishoy, from the Coptic Orthodox Church in

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

. Later the Church had its own priest, Fr. John Saleeb. The church was consecrated by Pope Shenouda III during a visit to the UK on Saturday 29 March 2008.http://ukmidcopts.org/index.php/news/260-hh-pope-shenouda-iii-consecrates-the-church-of-st-mary-a-st-abaskhyroun-in-llandudno-north-wales-v15-260

References

https://web.archive.org/web/20060504043959/http://www.copticpope.org/downloads/eng_keraza/engkeraza11-02-2005.pdf

External links

St. Mary & St. Abaskhyron's Church, Llandudno, North WalesCoptic Orthodox Diocese of the Midlands, U.K.Churches in Llandudno
{{DEFAULTSORT:Coptic Orthodox Church In Wales Christian denominations in Wales Coptic Orthodox Church in the United Kingdom