St John the Evangelist Church, Cardiff facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St John the Evangelist |
|
|---|---|
St John's
|
|
| 51°28′51″N 3°12′09″W / 51.4808°N 3.2024°W | |
| Denomination | Church in Wales |
| History | |
| Status | active |
| Dedication | St John the Evangelist |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | parish church |
| Heritage designation | Grade II |
| Designated | 18 May 1975 |
| Architect(s) | J. Prichard & J.P. Seddon |
| Groundbreaking | 1854 |
| Completed | 1902 |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Canton |
| Diocese | Llandaff |
St John the Evangelist Church, Canton is a special old church in Cardiff, Wales. It is known as a "listed building," which means it's important for its history or architecture. The church is part of the Canton area.
History of St John's Church
Long ago, Canton was a small village near Llandaff. But in the early 1800s, the city of Cardiff grew very quickly. This happened because of new factories and jobs. Many people moved to Canton, and the area became much bigger.
By the 1850s, there were so many people in Canton that they needed their own church. Two architects, John Prichard and John Pollard Seddon, designed St John's Church.
Building the Church
Building the church took a very long time, almost 50 years!
- The main part of the church, called the nave, was built first in 1854 and 1855.
- The side sections, known as the aisles, were added a few years later, from 1858 to 1859.
- Then, construction slowed down. The tall tower (steeple) and the area around the altar (chancel) were not finished until 1868 to 1870.
- Later, in 1902, another architect named G.E. Haliday made changes to the spire and added a new section at the west end.
- Some smaller changes were also made in the 1950s.
The first minister of St John's Church was Vincent Saulez. He also helped start another church nearby, St Paul's Church, Grangetown.
In 1975, St John the Evangelist Church was officially named a listed building of Grade II. This means it is a very important historic building that needs to be protected.
Inside the Church
Inside St John's Church, you can see several interesting features:
- There is a special decorated screen behind the altar called a reredos. This one has three pointed sections.
- The church also has an old baptismal font. This is a basin used for baptisms, and it has eight sides.
- You can also see many beautiful stained glass windows. These windows have colorful pictures made from pieces of glass. Some of them are very old, while the newest ones were added in 1981.
