St Peter ad Vincula, Pennal

For other churches of this dedication, see St Peter ad Vincula (disambiguation).
St Peter ad Vincula, Pennal

Photo of the church
Coordinates: 52°35′08″N 3°55′14″W / 52.58566°N 3.9205°W / 52.58566; -3.9205
Country United Kingdom
Denomination Church in Wales
Website www.hearthstone.co.uk
www.churchinwales.org.uk
History
Founded 6th Century CE
Dedication Saint Peter in Chains
Administration
Parish Pennal
Deanery Cyfeiliog & Mawddwy
Archdeaconry Meirionnydd
Diocese Diocese of Bangor
Province Wales

The parish church of St Peter ad Vincula (meaning Saint Peter in Chains) in the village of Pennal in Gwynedd, north-west Wales, is notable as the site of the last senate meeting held by the renegade Welsh prince, Owain Glyndŵr. It was founded in the 6th century, supposedly by St Tannwg and St Eithrias,[1] and is the only church in Wales with this dedication. It is now part of the benefice of Bro Ystumanner in the diocese of Bangor.[2]

It is thought that the church was so named by Glyndŵr in competition with the chapel of St Peter ad Vincula in the Tower of London, one of the chapels royal of his rival, King Henry IV of England. Pennal was regarded with honour because of its status as one of the 21 llysoedd, the courts of the native Welsh Princes of Gwynedd.[3]

A copy of Glyndŵr's "Pennal Letter" of 1406, a letter to King Charles VI of France, setting out his plans for an independent Wales, originated from Pennal. While the original letter remains in the Archives Nationales in Paris, a copy is displayed at the Parliament House in Machynlleth, and at the National Library of Wales. The letter was briefly returned to Wales from France for an exhibition at the National Library of Wales in 2000,[4] and a campaign has since sprung up for it to be returned permanently to Wales and put on show at the National Assembly building in Cardiff.

A memorial garden was created in the churchyard for the native Welsh princes, during the rectorship of Rev Geraint ap Iorwerth, who was responsible for the church from 1989 until 2012. On his departure, he claimed that the church had become "cosy club for members who abide by the rules, accepting of their place in the hierarchy".[5] He had previously been the centre of controversy when he burned pages from the King James Bible as part of an "art experiment".[6] The garden contains a bronze statue of Owain Glyndŵr, made by Dave Haynes of Bethesda, which was unveiled in 2004. Local celebrity Robert Plant, who had made a donation towards the cost of the statue, attended the opening ceremony. Other notable donors included Ray Gravell and Julia Ormond.[7]

The church is a Grade II listed building, much of which dates from the 18th century, the original medieval church having been rebuilt in 1700.[1] The porch is built of stone from nearby Llugwy Quarry. The interior includes stained glass windows by Holland & Holt (1872) and by Ernest Penwarden (1923).[8]

References

  1. 1 2 "Church of St Peter ad Vincula, Pennal". British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
  2. ↑ "St Peter Ad Vincula, Pennal". Church in Wales. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
  3. ↑ "Owain Glyndŵr's Wales: Pennal". Canolfan Owain Glyndŵr Centre. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
  4. ↑ "Glyndŵr letter returns to Wales". BBC News. 22 March 2000. Retrieved 3 May 2010.
  5. ↑ "Pennal Rector Geraint leaves 'cosy club' church". Daily Post. 1 February 2012. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
  6. ↑ "Church in Wales inquiry after rector burns Bible pages". BBC News. 22 July 2011. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
  7. ↑ "Rock star Plant honours rebel". BBC News. 8 September 2004. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
  8. ↑ "Works at Church of St Peter ad Vincula, Pennal, Gwynedd". University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh and Celtic Studies. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
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