St Mary the Virgin is a church located in the town of Pembroke in Pembrokeshire, west Wales. The church is in the

Diocese of St David's The Diocese of St Davids is a diocese of the Church in Wales, a church of the Anglican Communion. The diocese covers the historic extent of Ceredigion, Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire, together with a small part of western Glamorgan. The episcop ...

within the

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 ...

, and members of the

Anglican Communion The Anglican Communion is the third largest Christian communion after the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches. Founded in 1867 in London, the communion has more than 85 million members within the Church of England and other ...

. Since 2004, it has been a part of the Monkton Rectorial Benefice.

History and description

The present day church dates back to the 13th century, although it is speculated that there might have existed an earlier church of St Mary. The building is constructed from stone, with a slate roof. Two original windows remain in the south wall of the building, the remainder are 19th century replacements. The tower located to the north east of the building dates from the middle of the 14th century, and currently contains a ring of eight bells. The original bells were installed in 1763, two were added in 1765 and a further two added in 1897. The font at the church dates back to late Norman times.

King Henry VII 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 Beaufo ...

, born at nearby

Pembroke Castle Pembroke Castle ( cy, Castell Penfro) is a medieval castle in the centre of Pembroke, Pembrokeshire in Wales. The castle was the original family seat of the Earldom of Pembroke. A Grade I listed building since 1951, it underwent major restorati ...

, he was probably baptised at the church, though no evidence of the event exists. The modern entrance to the church is through a porch on the west side of the building, erected in 1926, accessed from the corner of Northgate Street and Main Street. The historical entrance was through the south side of the church, this doorway now leads to the choir

vestry A vestry was a committee for the local secular and ecclesiastical government for a parish in England, Wales and some English colonies which originally met in the vestry or sacristy of the parish church, and consequently became known colloquiall ...

. The church had fallen into a state of disrepair towards the end of the 19th century and closed in 1875. Four years later, major renovation work was carried out under the supervision of

John Loughborough Pearson John Loughborough Pearson (5 July 1817 – 11 December 1897) was a British Gothic Revival architect renowned for his work on churches and cathedrals. Pearson revived and practised largely the art of vaulting, and acquired in it a proficiency ...

before the church reopened. The current pulpit was donated to the church a year later. The church was Grade I listed in 1951, being of exceptional architectural and historical interest. In addition, the north, east and west walls of the churchyard and the walls from the north of the churchyard to Barnard's Tower were Grade II listed in 1981, and the gates at the south-west entrance along with the railings to the south and west sides of the churchyard were Grade II listed in 2005.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pembroke, St Mary St Mary's Church Grade I listed churches in Pembrokeshire 13th-century church buildings in Wales