St Gredifael's Church is a former

Church in Wales The Church in Wales ( cy, Yr Eglwys yng Nghymru) is an Anglican church in Wales, composed of six dioceses. The Archbishop of Wales does not have a fixed archiepiscopal see, but serves concurrently as one of the six diocesan bishops. The p ...

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...

Penmynydd Penmynydd (; ), meaning "top of the mountain" in Welsh, is a village and community on Anglesey, Wales. It is known for being the birthplace of the Tudors of Penmynydd, which became the House of Tudor. The population according to the United Kingd ...

Anglesey Anglesey (; cy, (Ynys) Môn ) is an island off the north-west coast of Wales. It forms a principal area known as the Isle of Anglesey, that includes Holy Island across the narrow Cymyran Strait and some islets and skerries. Anglesey island ...

, Wales. The church was originally constructed in the 6th century by St Gredifael for whom it was named with the current stone building being constructed in the 12th century. The church holds the tomb of Goronwy ap Tudur Hen, a member of the House of Tudor and ancestor to the Tudor

Kings of England This list of kings and reigning queens of the Kingdom of England begins with Alfred the Great, who initially ruled Wessex, one of the seven Anglo-Saxon kingdoms which later made up modern England. Alfred styled himself King of the Anglo-Sax ...

. It is a grade II* listed building.

History

The church was first constructed on the site in the 6th century AD by Saint Gredifael with a more substantial stone building being constructed later in the 12th century. The church was later reconstructed in the 14th century, with the

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

and

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being built using Norman carved stone. The church was extended in the early 15th century with the inclusion of a new north chapel (which later became known as the Tudor chapel) and new porch on the south side. Restoration work was later carried out in 1848 and again in 1969 to repair the upper sections of the walls. In 2010, there were concerns that the church would close due to being unable to afford necessary repairs. However the church was awarded a financial grant from the

Welsh Assembly The Senedd (; ), officially known as the Welsh Parliament in English and () in Welsh, is the devolved, unicameral legislature of Wales. A democratically elected body, it makes laws for Wales, agrees certain taxes and scrutinises the Welsh ...

to allow for the repairs to be carried out and the church to remain open. The church has since closed. The church was granted grade II* listed status in 1968. The reason for it being listed was because it was a "...as a scarcely restored medieval rural church housing an exceptionally fine late C14 alabaster effigy tomb." It also stated that "the church is of immense local and national historic interest for its connection with the Tudor family of Plas Penmynydd."

Tudor Family

The church is closely linked to the House of Tudor as it is located in the village where the dynasty was founded. Inside the church in the north chapel is the alabaster tomb of Goronwy ap Tudur Hen, the great uncle of

Henry VII of England Henry VII (28 January 1457 – 21 April 1509) was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizure of the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death in 1509. He was the first monarch of the House of Tudor. Henry's mother, Margaret Beauf ...

of the House of Tudor alongside his wife Myfanwy Fychan. His tomb was not originally installed at St Gredifael's Church. However, it was moved there from

Llanfaes Friary Llanfaes Friary was a Franciscan friary in the now vanished medieval town of Llanfaes, close to what is now Beaumaris, in south east Anglesey, Wales. It was founded around 1237 in memory of Joan, wife of Llywelyn ab Iorwerth. The Friary survive ...

following the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britai ...

Dissolution of the Monasteries by his successor Henry VIII of England. The tombs themselves are damaged from vandalism due to pilgrims taking chips off them because of a belief that the tombs materials had healing properties. As a result of this, the effigy of Goronwy on the top of his tomb is missing its hands and the effigy on top of Mfanwy's tomb is missing its fingers. The interior design pays tribute to the Tudor lineage with Tudor Roses in the stained glass windows alongside a portcullis representing the House of Beaufort. The window has the motto "UNDEB FEL RHOSYN YW AR LAN AFONYDD AC FEL TY DUR AR BEN Y MYNYDDD" (Unity is like a rose on a river bank and like a house of steel on top of a mountain) on it and fleur de lys on the ends of the pews in reference to Catherine of Valois, wife of Owen Tudor and the English claims to the French throne, Tudor claim to the French throne. In 2007, the church was visited by the House of Tudor's descendant and heir to the throne of the United Kingdom, Charles, Prince of Wales.

References

External links

Artwork at St Gredifael's Church, Penmynydd
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Gredifaels Church, Penmynydd Grade II* listed churches in Anglesey, Penmynydd, St Gredifael Church in Wales church buildings, Penmynydd, St Gredifael Burial sites of the House of Tudor Former churches in Anglesey, Penmynydd