St Mary's Church

The Rood Screen

On entering St. Mary's, one's attention is immediately captured by the finely carved oak chancel and rood screen. On top of the screen the Lord sits on a throne, wearing a royal diadem and holding a sceptre, with angels on each side carrying thuribles. Above is the Rood where the Lord is depicted nailed to the cross wearing his robes and a crown of glory, with the Virgin Mary on the right and Saint John on the left. Closer inspection shows the screen to be a wonderful piece of carving and an excellent work of art.The rood screen and some of the other carved woodwork was presented to the Church in 1921 by the Rev. John Morris Parry. However, it is my personal opinion that, wonderful work of art as it is, it is in the wrong place; having only been positioned there in 1921. Frankly, it is my opinion that situated as it is, the very much more interesting east window is hidden from view and appreciation of that window is denied.

The Font

The font, just inside the west door, has two inscriptions added in the 1880s. The top one reads "R.W. Vicar, W.E.P. Churchwarden, restored 1882" in an alphabet said to have been devised by the nineteenth century bard Iolo Morganwg. This is on the rim of what is undoubtedly an ancient bowl. The base is of much more recent date and shows marks that would have been made by a circular saw. The lower inscription reads "In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Amen" and is said to have been devised by the supposed eighth century monk Nennius. One suggestion is that Nennius invented the alphabet used here to counteract the charge that there was no alphabet.

Arches

Also plainly visible on entry to the church are two arches and as you walk up the nave, take a good look at the arcades on your left, built around 1230. These led into a north aisle running the whole length of the church until the 1830 alterations. Until very recently the Anglesey gritstone, which has a most attractive appearance with odd sparkles in it, of these arches were covered with paint and had not been seen in living memory. Happily, these magnificent arches can now be seen in their original, magnificent glory.

The Gospellers

In each side panel of the chancel gate are two panels showing the symbols of the evangelists: Matthew (a winged man), Mark (a winged lion), Luke (a winged ox) and John (a winged eagle). The wood from which these panels have been carved is of a darker colour than the rest of the gates and it has been suggested that the panels pre-date the gates. True or not, the carvings are of excellent workmanship and although it should be avoided there is a strong sense of wishing to feel the beauty of true craftsmanship.

The East Window

The East wall has a beautiful, unusually tall, 13th Century triple lancet window, described by Hughes and North in The Old Churches of Snowdonia as "possibly the finest architectural feature in the whole of Snowdonia": the same writers describe the two arches in the East wall as "the most elaborate we shall meet" (in Snowdonia). In the name of puritanical nonconformity, much of the Church's old carved woodwork and stained glass was removed during the 1830 "renovation", together with the north choir. The window was re-glazed in 1882 and each of the three windows depict three scenes from the life of Christ. Not, unfortunately, decipherable in ths small image but refer to the Church Guide which is freely available at the back of the Church for the depictions.