St Mary'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 Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a place/building for Christian religious activities and praying * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian comm ...

located in Cardigan,

Ceredigion Ceredigion (), historically Cardiganshire (, ), is a Principal areas of Wales, county in the West Wales, west of Wales. It borders Gwynedd across the River Dyfi, Dyfi estuary to the north, Powys to the east, Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire t ...

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 ...

. In 1428, with the disappearance of Holy Trinity Church, St Mary's formally became the

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), 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 com ...

of Cardigan, but it continued to serve as a

priory church A priory is a monastery of men or women under religious vows that is headed by a prior or prioress. They were created by the Catholic Church. Priories may be monastic houses of monks or nuns (such as the Benedictines, the Cistercians, or the Ch ...

until the Reformation, being located close to

Cardigan Priory Cardigan Priory (formally: The Priory Church of Our Lady of Cardigan; alternative: Cardigan Cell) was a Benedictine priory located in Cardigan, Ceredigion, mid-west Wales. Its church survives as a parish church, St. Mary's Church, Cardigan, w ...

. It is a

Grade II* listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...

building.

History

St. Mary's was both the priory church of the medieval

Benedictine The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...

Cardigan Priory and a parish church. It continues as a parish church, part of the

united benefice A benefice () or living is a reward received in exchange for services rendered and as a retainer for future services. The Roman Empire used the Latin term as a benefit to an individual from the Empire for services rendered. Its use was adopted by ...

of Bro Teifi. While the church was a 12th-century foundation, the present building dates from the fourteenth century, although substantially rebuilt. Its blocked south door "is thought to have been associated with the former priory buildings." In the thirteenth century St Mary's Priory church was the site of the shrine of Our Lady of the Taper, which was demolished at the Dissolution of the Monasteries. The porch was rebuilt in 1639. In 1705, the tower collapsed; it was rebuilt over the next 40 years and was finally completed in 1748. The stained glass window in the east wall of the chancel was installed in 1924, and depicts the Crucifixion with the Virgin Mary and St John. Surviving fragments of fifteenth century glass are set in the upper tracery lights.

Notable burials

Dr David Rowlands, Inspector of H.M. Hospitals and Fleets, Royal Navy, died in 1846. He is commemorated by a memorial tablet inside the church.

References

External links

Parish website
Grade II* listed churches in Ceredigion 19th-century Church in Wales church buildings {{Wales-Anglican-church-stub