The Priory and Parish Church of Saint Mary is in

Beddgelert Beddgelert () is a village and community in the Snowdonia area of Gwynedd, Wales. The population of the community taken at the 2011 census was 455, and includes Nantmor and Nant Gwynant. It is reputed to be named after the legendary hound ...

, in the

Snowdonia Snowdonia or Eryri (), is a mountainous region in northwestern Wales and a national park of in area. It was the first to be designated of the three national parks in Wales, in 1951. Name and extent It was a commonly held belief that the na ...

area of Gwynedd, Wales. It is a

Grade II* listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Ir ...

, on the site of one of the oldest Christian establishments in Wales. An early Christian community was established there in the 6th century AD which is mentioned by

Gerald of Wales Gerald of Wales ( la, Giraldus Cambrensis; cy, Gerallt Gymro; french: Gerald de Barri; ) was a Cambro-Norman priest and historian. As a royal clerk to the king and two archbishops, he travelled widely and wrote extensively. He studied and taugh ...

. An

Augustinian priory Augustinians are members of Christian religious orders that follow the Rule of Saint Augustine, written in about 400 AD by Augustine of Hippo. There are two distinct types of Augustinians in Catholic religious orders dating back to the 12th–13 ...

was founded there in the 13th century and in the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

it grew substantially thanks to the support of important Welsh nobles including Prince Llewelyn. The priory and many of its records were destroyed in 1283 or 1284 by a fire. As of the early 16th century it was Sir John Wynn (ancestor of the Barons Newborough who owned the priory in addition to

Bardsey Island Bardsey Island ( cy, Ynys Enlli), known as the legendary "Island of 20,000 Saints", is located off the Llŷn Peninsula in the Welsh county of Gwynedd. The Welsh name means "The Island in the Currents", while its English name refers to the "Islan ...

. In the 16th century, as part of the dissolution of the monasteries, the priory was closed in October 1535 and became a simple parish church. Remnants of the church's medieval past include transept arches and some of the stonework around the lancet windows. The Victorian era brought further modifications including the demolition of the north aisle and some new stained glass. The existing glass is dated only to the 19th and 20th centuries and includes work by Dunstan Powell (1920) and

Trena Cox Trena is a given name. Notable people with the name include: * Trena Cox (1895–1980), English artist * Trena King (born 1958), American archer * Trena Trice-Hill (born 1965), American basketball player See also * Trina (name) Trina is a com ...

(1968).

People

The harpist and wrestler Marged ferch Ifan (1696-1793) was baptised here in 1696 and married in 1717.Ceridwen Lloyd-Morgan, ‘Marged ferch Ifan (bap. 1696, d. 1793)’,

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...

, Oxford University Press, 200
accessed 10 Oct 2015
/ref> Eglwys y Santes Fair Beddgelert St Mary's church Gwynedd Wales 25.JPG Eglwys y Santes Fair Beddgelert St Mary's church Gwynedd Wales 90.JPG Eglwys y Santes Fair Beddgelert St Mary's church Gwynedd Wales 45.JPG Eglwys y Santes Fair Beddgelert St Mary's church Gwynedd Wales 83.JPG

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Beddgelert, The Priory and Parish Church of Saint Mary Grade II* listed churches in Gwynedd