St Martin's Church is an

Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

church on Albany Road in

Roath Roath () is a district and Community (Wales), community to the north-east of the Cardiff city centre, city centre of Cardiff, capital of Wales. The area is mostly covered by the Plasnewydd electoral ward, and stretches from Adamsdown in the so ...

, Cardiff, Wales.

History

Erected to serve what was then a growing suburb, the church was founded as a

tin tabernacle A tin tabernacle, also known as an iron church, is a type of prefabricated ecclesiastical building made from corrugated galvanised iron. They were developed in the mid-19th century, initially in the United Kingdom. Corrugated iron was first u ...

in 1886. The present building replaced it in 1901, and the church became a separate parish in 1903. Its original

lady chapel A Lady chapel or lady chapel is a traditional British English, British term for a chapel dedicated to Mary, mother of Jesus, particularly those inside a cathedral or other large church (building), church. The chapels are also known as a Mary chape ...

was decorated by a Belgian refugee artist in gratitude for the kindness shown by the parishioners during the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. The original interior of the church was completely destroyed by an

incendiary bomb Incendiary weapons, incendiary devices, incendiary munitions, or incendiary bombs are weapons designed to start fires. They may destroy structures or sensitive equipment using fire, and sometimes operate as anti-personnel weaponry. Incendiarie ...

in February 1941. Services were held in the surviving choir vestry and in the neighbouring St Cyprian's church until the building was restored in full in 1955. During the restoration, the ornate tracery of the original windows was replaced with a plainer lancet type to increase the amount of light allowed through them. A new cloister fronting the street was consecrated by Archbishop Barry Morgan in 2011. In 2013 a mosaic of

Christ Pantocrator In Christian iconography, Christ Pantocrator (, ) is a specific depiction of Christ. or , literally 'ruler of all', but usually translated as 'almighty' or 'all-powerful', is derived from one of many names of God in Judaism. The Pantokrator i ...

by Aidan Hart was installed above the main entrance of the church. It was blessed by

Rowan Williams Rowan Douglas Williams, Baron Williams of Oystermouth (born 14 June 1950) is a Welsh Anglican bishop, theologian and poet, who served as the 104th Archbishop of Canterbury from 2002 to 2012. Previously the Bishop of Monmouth and Archbishop of W ...

, the former Archbishop of Canterbury.

References

External links

* {{Commons category-inline, St Martin's Church, Roath
Official Website
Churches completed in 1901 Roath, St Martin