Swansea Minster (), or formally the Minster Church of St. Mary Swansea with Holy Trinity, and formerly 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 ...

Minster church Minster is an honorific title given to particular churches in England and Wales, most notably York Minster in Yorkshire, Westminster Abbey in London and Southwell Minster in Nottinghamshire. The term ''minster'' is first found in royal fou ...

in the centre of Swansea,

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 considered the civic church of Swansea. It was designated as Wales' first

minster church Minster is an honorific title given to particular churches in England and Wales, most notably York Minster in Yorkshire, Westminster Abbey in London and Southwell Minster in Nottinghamshire. The term ''minster'' is first found in royal fou ...

by the

Church in Wales The Church in Wales () 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 position is currently held b ...

in 2024. There was a church on the site of St Mary's since ''circa'' 1328, erected by Henry de Gower, Bishop of Saint David's. One Sunday morning, in 1739, the roof of the nave collapsed into the church while the congregation was waiting to enter the building. The whole structure was re-built apart from the tower. 1822 saw the church being lit by gas for the first time with thirty six lamps. The church underwent complete renovation between 1879 and 1882 by Vicar Dr Morgan. In 1896, the church was flattened and rebuilt again under the designs of

Arthur Blomfield Sir Arthur William Blomfield (6 March 182930 October 1899) was an English architect. He became president of the Architectural Association in 1861; a Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects in 1867 and vice-president of the RIBA in ...

by Dean Allan Smith, though some parts of the old church survived the re-development. In February 1941 the church was extensively damaged by Bombing during the Blitz. It was not rebuilt until the 1950s. From the 1890s the Swansea Devil stood on a set of buildings facing the west side of the church, constructed by a disgruntled rival of Blomfield's, angry at the commissioning of Blomfield's designs over his own. The church is known for its architectural features, community outreach programmes, and regular worship services that cater to a diverse congregation. St Mary's has been a focal point of Swansea's religious and cultural heritage for centuries.

Swansea Minster

saw the designation of its first

in 2024, as St. Mary's Church was officially granted minster status by the

. The dedication was part of the Church in Wales historic £10 m effort of

evangelism Evangelism, or witnessing, is the act of sharing the Christian gospel, the message and teachings of Jesus Christ. It is typically done with the intention of converting others to Christianity. Evangelism can take several forms, such as persona ...

throughout Wales, and reflects the importance of St. Mary's to the surrounding area. The dedication was presided over by

His Grace His Grace and Her Grace are English Style (manner of address), styles of address used with high-ranking personages, and was the style for English monarchs until Henry VIII (r. 1509–1547), and for Scottish monarchs until the Act of Union (1707), ...

The Most Rev.

Andy John The Most Rev. Andrew Thomas Griffith John (usually known as Andy John; born 9 January 1964) is the current Archbishop of Wales, of the Church in Wales. He became the Bishop of Bangor in 2008 and was appointed archbishop in 2021. Early life A na ...

Archbishop of Wales The post of Archbishop of Wales () was created in 1920 when the Church in Wales was separated from the Church of England and disestablished. The four historic Welsh dioceses had previously formed part of the Province of Canterbury, and so came ...

and

Bishop of Bangor The Bishop of Bangor is the Ordinary (officer), ordinary of the Diocese of Bangor of the Church in Wales. The Episcopal see, see is based in the city of Bangor where the bishop's seat (''cathedra'') is at Bangor Cathedral, Cathedral Church of Sa ...

, in a special service on February 16, 2025.

Bells

The tower contains eight bells, which were cast in 1959 by

John Taylor & Co John Taylor Bell Foundry (Loughborough) Limited, trading as John Taylor & Co and commonly known as Taylor's Bell Foundry, Taylor's of Loughborough, or simply Taylor's, is the world's largest working bell (instrument), bell foundry. It is locat ...

, Loughborough with the heaviest weighing 20cwt - 2qr - 12lb (1049.2 kg) in "E". Details of the bells:-

Images

File:Eglwys St Mary's Church, Swansea Abertawe Wales 01.jpg, View looking east towards the altar File:Eglwys St Mary's Church Swansea Abertawe Wales 02.jpg, The Millennium Window based on Revelation 22 v5. They need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign for ever and ever. "The sun sets on the city of Swansea but rises in the new Jerusalem" File:Eglwys St Mary's Church Swansea Abertawe Wales 18.jpg, View looking west towards the back of the church File:Eglwys St Mary's Church Swansea Abertawe Wales 24.jpg, The ceiling of the nave File:Eglwys St. Joseph's Cathedral, Swansea Abertawe Wales 31.JPG, Aisle and columns File:Eglwys St Mary's Church Swansea Abertawe Wales 34.jpg, The Font with its steel canopy reflecting the industrial heritage of Swansea. File:Eglwys St. Mary's Church Swansea Abertawe Wales 39.jpg, The main door. The most impressive and best preserved part of the door of the blitzed church is the carving above where we see Jesus reigning in heaven surrounded by the four gospel writers in their traditional representations. Matthew is a man, Mark a lion, Luke a bull and John an eagle. This was carved by the notable Mr. Nicholls of Lambeth in London

References

External links

GENUKI: SwanseaSt Mary's Swansea websiteArtwork at St Mary's Church, Swansea
{{DEFAULTSORT:Swansea, St Mary Seansea Collegiate churches in Wales Grade II listed churches in Swansea History of Swansea Arthur Blomfield church buildings