The Priory and Parish Church of Saint Mary is in

Beddgelert Beddgelert () is a village and community (Wales), community in the Snowdonia area of Gwynedd, Wales. The population of the community taken at the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 census was 460 (rounded to the nearest 10). This includes Nan ...

, in the

Snowdonia Snowdonia, or Eryri (), is a mountainous region and National parks of the United Kingdom, national park in North Wales. It contains all 15 mountains in Wales Welsh 3000s, over 3000 feet high, including the country's highest, Snowdon (), which i ...

area of

Gwynedd Gwynedd () is a county in the north-west of Wales. It borders Anglesey across the Menai Strait to the north, Conwy, Denbighshire, and Powys to the east, Ceredigion over the Dyfi estuary to the south, and the Irish Sea to the west. The ci ...

, Wales. It is a

Grade II* listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

, on the site of one of the oldest Christian establishments in Wales. An early Christian community was established there in the 6th century AD which is mentioned by Gerald of Wales. An Augustinian priory was founded there in the 13th century and in the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

it grew substantially thanks to the support of important Welsh nobles including Prince Llewelyn. The priory and many of its records were destroyed in 1283 or 1284 by a fire. As of the early 16th century it was Sir John Wynn (ancestor of the Barons Newborough who owned the priory in addition to Bardsey Island. In the 16th century, as part of the dissolution of the monasteries, the priory was closed in October 1535 and became a simple parish church. Remnants of the church's medieval past include transept arches and some of the stonework around the lancet windows. The Victorian era brought further modifications including the demolition of the north aisle and some new stained glass. The existing glass is dated only to the 19th and 20th centuries and includes work by Dunstan Powell (1920) and Trena Cox (1968).

People

The harpist and wrestler Marged ferch Ifan (1696-1793) was baptised here in 1696 and married in 1717.Ceridwen Lloyd-Morgan, ‘Marged ferch Ifan (bap. 1696, d. 1793)’,

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from History of the British Isles, British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') ...

, Oxford University Press, 200
accessed 10 Oct 2015
/ref> Eglwys y Santes Fair Beddgelert St Mary's church Gwynedd Wales 25.JPG Eglwys y Santes Fair Beddgelert St Mary's church Gwynedd Wales 90.JPG Eglwys y Santes Fair Beddgelert St Mary's church Gwynedd Wales 45.JPG Eglwys y Santes Fair Beddgelert St Mary's church Gwynedd Wales 83.JPG

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Beddgelert, The Priory and Parish Church of Saint Mary Grade II* listed churches in Gwynedd