St Mary's Church, Llanfair Mathafarn Eithaf facts for kids

Quick facts for kids St Mary's Church, Llanfair Mathafarn Eithaf
The south side of the church
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OS grid reference	SH 506 829
Location	Llanfair-Mathafarn-Eithaf, Anglesey
Country	Wales, United Kingdom
Denomination	Church in Wales
Website	Parish website
History
Status	Church
Founded	14th century
Dedication	St Mary
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Heritage designation	Grade II*
Designated	12 May 1970
Architect(s)	Henry Kennedy (1847 renovations)
Style	Medieval
Specifications
Length	52 ft 6 in (16.0 m)
Nave width	16 ft 3 in (5.0 m)
Materials	Rubble masonry
Administration
Parish	Llanfair Mathafarn Eithaf with Llanbedrgoch with Pentraeth
Deanery	Tindaethwy and Menai
Archdeaconry	Bangor
Diocese	Diocese of Bangor
Province	Province of Wales

St Mary's Church, Llanfair Mathafarn Eithaf is a small, old church located in Anglesey, north Wales. Some parts of the church, like the main hall (called the nave) and a doorway, were built way back in the 1300s. Other parts, such as the area around the altar (the chancel), were added in the 1400s.

This church is special because it's connected to a famous Welsh poet and priest named Goronwy Owen. He was born nearby and even worked at St Mary's for a short time. Later, he moved to America to teach.

St Mary's Church is still used for church services today. It's part of the Church in Wales and serves three local communities. The church is also a "Grade II* listed building". This means it's a very important historical building that needs to be protected because it still has many of its original medieval parts.

History of St Mary's Church

St Mary's Church is found near the eastern coast of Anglesey, in north Wales. It sits by a country road close to the village of Brynteg. The area around the church, called its parish, also includes the coastal town of Benllech. The church's name helps explain the area: "Llan" means "church" in Welsh, and "fair" comes from "Mary". "Mathafarn Eithaf" means "area of the tavern".

Building Through the Centuries

The oldest part of St Mary's Church is the nave, which was built in the 1300s. The chancel, where the altar is, and the arch connecting it to the nave were added in the 1400s.

In 1847, an architect named Henry Kennedy worked on the church. He added a small room called a vestry on the north side and a porch on the south side. He also made other changes, like putting a new roof on the chancel.

Church Life Today

St Mary's Church is still an active place of worship. It's part of the Church in Wales and is one of three churches in its local area. The church is part of the Diocese of Bangor. As of 2012, the main priest, called the rector, was the Venerable R P Davies. Church services are held on Sunday mornings.

Connection to Goronwy Owen

The famous Welsh priest and poet Goronwy Owen was born in this area on January 1, 1723. He worked as a curate (a type of assistant priest) at St Mary's for three weeks. Later, he moved to America to teach at The College of William & Mary in Virginia, where he lived until he passed away.

Architecture and Features

St Mary's Church is built from rough stones called rubble masonry. It has strong supports called buttresses at the eastern ends of the nave and chancel. The roof is made of slate, and you can see the wooden beams from inside the church.

Outside the Church

At the west end of the roof, there's a small tower called a bellcote that holds one bell from 1849. You enter the church through a porch on the south side of the nave. This porch has a round-topped doorway from the 1400s or 1500s.

The church has several windows. On the south wall of the nave, there's a window with a special three-leaf shape (called a trefoil). To the right of the porch, there are two more windows, each with three sections. The south wall of the chancel has a similar window with two sections, added in 1847. There's also an older, blocked-up window from the 1600s nearby.

The north wall of the church was rebuilt in 1847. It has a doorway from the 1300s with a pointed arch and windows like those on the south side. The large east window, from the 1400s, has three sections with five-leaf shapes (called cinquefoils) inside a pointed arch.

Inside the Church

Inside, the church has a gallery at the west end, which you can reach by a spiral staircase. The nave is longer and taller than the chancel, with one step and a simple arch from the 1400s between them. The nave is about 16 meters (52 feet 6 inches) long and 5 meters (16 feet 3 inches) wide. The chancel is about 5.6 meters (18 feet 6 inches) long and 4.1 meters (13 feet 6 inches) wide.

A survey in 1937 found a wooden communion table from 1667 and some old memorials from the 1700s. The churchyard also had an 11th-century cross, which once held a sundial. Most of the things inside the church today are from the mid-1800s.

The pulpit, where the priest gives sermons, has two carved pictures: one of Christ and one of Mary and baby Jesus. It was put in place in 1969 to mark 200 years since Goronwy Owen's death. The screen behind the altar, called a reredos, remembers those who died in World War I.

Why St Mary's is Important

St Mary's Church is officially recognized as a Grade II* listed building. This is the second-highest level of protection for historic buildings in the UK. It means the church is "particularly important" and has "more than special interest". It received this status on May 12, 1970.

Cadw, the Welsh government group that protects historical buildings, says St Mary's was listed because it's "a good rural church retaining substantial medieval fabric." This means it's a great example of an old country church that still has many of its original parts from the Middle Ages.

In 1847, a clergyman named Harry Longueville Jones described St Mary's as "a rather long and low building" in a "rocky, and exposed locality". He also thought the church's roof was special because of the "good, but light, timber used in its construction."