St Cadfan's Church () is situated in

Tywyn Tywyn (; ), formerly spelled Towyn, is a town, community, and seaside resort on the Cardigan Bay coast of southern Gwynedd, Wales. It was previously in the historic county of Merionethshire. It is famous as the location of the Cadfan Stone, a ...

in the county of

Gwynedd Gwynedd () is a county in the north-west of Wales. It borders Anglesey across the Menai Strait to the north, Conwy, Denbighshire, and Powys to the east, Ceredigion over the Dyfi estuary to the south, and the Irish Sea to the west. The ci ...

, formerly

Merionethshire Merionethshire, or Merioneth ( or '), was Historic counties of Wales, one of the thirteen counties of Wales that existed from 1536 until their abolishment in 1974. It was located in the North West Wales, north-west of Wales. Name 'Merioneth' is a ...

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

. It is dedicated to

Saint Cadfan Cadfan (), was the 6th century founder-abbot of Tywyn (whose church is dedicated to him) and Bardsey, both in Gwynedd, Wales. He was said to have received the island of Bardsey from Einion Frenin, king of Llŷn, around 516 and to have serv ...

, who founded a

clas (ecclesiastical settlement) A clas ( Welsh ''clasau'') was a native Christian church in early medieval Wales. Unlike later Norman monasteries, which were made up of a main religious building supported by several smaller buildings, such as cloisters and kitchens, a clas ...

at Tywyn in the 6th century. The church is noted for its Romanesque architecture and for housing the

Cadfan Stone The Cadfan Stone () is a 7th-9th century stone that has the earliest known Welsh language inscription, specifically in Old Welsh. The stone is located inside St Cadfan's Church, Tywyn, Gwynedd. History The stone was once thought to mark the g ...

, a stone cross dating from ninth century or earlier which is inscribed with the oldest known written Welsh. '' Brut y Tywysogion'' states that the church was sacked by

Vikings Vikings were seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway, and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded, and settled throughout parts of Europe.Roesdahl, pp. 9� ...

in 963, and during the twelfth century it was the subject of a memorable poem by Llywelyn Fardd (I). The earliest parts of the building date to the twelfth century, and it originally had a central tower, although this fell down in 1693. The church houses two fourteenth-century monuments. One of the effigies is of an unknown priest in full

Eucharistic vestments Vestments are liturgical garments and articles associated primarily with the Christian religion, especially by Eastern Churches, Catholics (of all rites), Lutherans, and Anglicans. Many other groups also make use of liturgical garments; among ...

. The other is a military figure thought to be Gruffudd ab Adda (d. c. 1350) of Dôl-goch and Ynysymaengwyn. The effigy is known as the 'Crying Knight' due to a flaw in the stone at his right eye which becomes damp during wet weather, giving the impression of weeping. The

vicarage A clergy house is the residence, or former residence, of one or more priests or Minister (Christianity), ministers of a given religion, serving as both a home and a base for the occupant's ministry. Residences of this type can have a variety of n ...

, which was built in the early 19th century, still stands on National Street. It is now a private house called 'Tŷ Cadfan Sant'. National Street (formerly Duck Street) was named after the National School, later Towyn Church School, which was once located on the street.

References

External links

Church WebsiteArtwork at St Cadfan's Church, Tywyn
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tywyn, Saint Cadfan Church in Wales church buildings in Gwynedd Grade I listed churches in Gwynedd 12th-century church buildings in Wales History of Gwynedd