If you visit Betws Y Coed, one of the places on the towns tourist trail is St Mary's Church. A fine Victorian Listed building, who's heritage highlights, become obvious once inside the church, the colours come to life in the stunning stained glass windows .
To me the most interesting stained glass window in St Mary's church is the huge round rose window which dominates the West end of the church. It features glass depicting the symbols of the four Gospel writers: the Angel (St Matthew), the winged Lion (St Mark), the winged Ox (St Luke), and the Eagle (St John).
St Mary's Church, is in the village of Betws-y-Coed, It is an active Anglican parish church of the Church in Wales, in the deanery of Arllechwedd, the archdeaconry of Bangor and the diocese of Bangor, North Wales.
St Mary's replaced a medieval church dedicated to Saint Michael, also located in the picturesque village of Betws Y Coed, North Wales.
If you visit Betws Y Coed, one of the places on the tourist trail is to call in to St Mary's Church. A fine Victorian Listed building to view the Stained Glass Windows, including the Rose Window.
Info: The Parish Church was built in 1873, and designed by Paley & Austin of Lancaster. It replaced the old St. Michael’s Church which was too small to cope with the influx of tourists to Betws-y-Coed in the 1870's.
Much of the stained glass was designed by Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones (1833-1898). He also designed stained glass windows for churches in England, America, India, Germany and France and the mosaic decorations in the apse of the American Church in Rome." Text Source: (
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"During the nineteenth century, Betws y Coed grew from being a stage point on the London to Holyhead Road to become a popular holiday resort. As a result, the old church of Saint Michael (near the station) became too small for the growing community. In 1873 this new church, initially known as Christ Church, but later with Saint Mary as patron, was built on an open site in the centre of the village. This was a field previously used for fairs, cockfighting, eisteddfodau, and open-air preaching: it was given by the Gwydir Estate.
The growing village of Betws y Coed was already a varied and progressive community, and this outlook is displayed in the church they built. The tower, however, was not completed until 1907 – this contains the church clock and a set of tubular bells which can be played from a keyboard in the vestry." Adapted from: (
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History
"There has been a church in Betws-y-Coed since before the coming of the Normans to Britain. That Celtic church was replaced in the 14th century with an attractive new church dedicated to St Michael. For centuries St Michael's was perfectly adequate to meet the needs of the relatively isolated village and its surrounding area. However, two things changed that state of affairs.
In the 1820s Thomas Telford's new road from London to Holyhead (the present A5) brought an influx of visitors to Betws, and a subsequent increase in population. Then in 1863 the railroad reached Betws, and another upsurge in the population and number of visitors drawn by the scenic beauty of the area meant that St Michael's would no longer suit the needs of the community. A new church was badly needed." Text Source: (
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