Fabric of St. Tudno’s

THE CHURCH BUILDING

Interior of St. Tudno's Church

The church was first built in stone in about the 12th century and enlarged to the present size in the 15th century. Restorations were carried out in 1855 and in 1906, while the church was re-slated in 2012. Please use this link for more information on the history of St. Tudno’s. Some of the features of interest are shown here.

St. Tudno's font

THE FONT
The font is where babies, or children or adults, are baptised (or Christened). It is near the door as a sign that baptism welcomes people into the church.

The bowl of the font dates from the 12th or 13th century and has Celtic style of carvings around it.

When the church was in ruins before the restoration in 1855, the local people removed some artifacts from the church, including the font. When the church was restored the font was found at a local farm, where it was being used as a trough by a water pump. It is still used for baptisms today.

St. Tudno's coffin lids

STONE COFFIN LIDS OR GRAVE COVERS
These date from about the 14th century. They were found buried in the churchyard at the time when the church was restored and were brought in here to protect them from the weather. We do not know whose graves they were from but assume that they must have been  important people. Like the font, the stones have Celtic patterns carved on them.

ROUND HEADED WINDOW
Part of the north wall of the church is considered to date from the 12th century and to have included the round headed window near the porch. At the time when the church was built it was very unusual to have a window in the north wall of a church. However, there is a legend that a candle used to be placed in this window at night, to act as a landmark to sailors at night. With no other lights about, even a candle could probably be seen from the sea.

St. Tudno's stigmata

WOODEN CARVINGS IN THE CHANCEL AND SANCTUARY

Above the altar is a carving of the Stigmata. This represents the five wounds which Jesus received when he was crucified: one in each hand, one in each foot and one in his side. The carvings in wood are probably all from the 15th century and at that time it is likely that they would all have been brightly coloured like the stigma.

There are more carvings in the wood below the roof. Along each panel there are carvings of vines, grapes and animals. On the south wall is a pelican and on the north wall are a bird and a dragon with two heads.

St. Tudno's bell

THE BELL
The bell was added in 1703 and is rung before services to tell people that a service is about to begin. Inscriptions on the bell include the name of the priest at that time, Evan Ellis, and a dragon.

PAINTED TABLETS
The painted tablets either side of the altar show the Lord’s Prayer, Creed and Ten Commandments in Welsh. These were added during the 1855 restoration.

RESTORATION PLAQUE AND MEMORIAL TO MR. WILLIAM HENRY REECE
The inscription in the arch records the restoration of the church in 1855 and it is written in three languages: Welsh, English and Latin. The nearby plaque with a cross is a memorial to Mr. William Henry Reece, who restored St. Tudno’s in 1855 but who is buried in Birmingham, where he lived when he died.

STAINED GLASS WINDOWS

The stained glass windows are Victorian and early 20th century and are suggested to include some fine examples of the manufacturers’ work, such as this window of Miriam and St. Cecilia.

Miriam & St. Cecilia window

Comments are closed.