ST.TUDNO AND ST TUDNO'S CHURCH
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SANT TUDNO AC EGLWYS SANT TUDNO
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Welcome to St. Tudno’s Church
Croeso i Eglwys Sant Tudno
The ancient church of St. Tudno
is a place of pilgrimage, peace and prayer and is an active place of
worship within the Parish of
Llandudno, including weekly open air
services
during the summer.
The first open air service in 2013 will be on Sunday May 22 at 11.00 am
and the
final service will be on Sunday 29 September. The Parish provides
a taxi to the Sunday morning services. There
are also a number of special services
during the year including Carols by
Candlelight.
Please use this link to see the
list of services
at St. Tudno's in 2013 - 2014, while details other services
and
events in the
Parish can be found on the Calendar
and Special
Events pages. St. Tudno's Day is celebrated on 5 June.
A Friends
of St. Tudno's Church Group has now been formed and welcomes anyone
who would like to join St. Tudno's extended family. Please see
the Friends'
web page for further details.
We
hope that you will be able to visit St. Tudno's and a warm welcome
awaits you at our services. If you are unable to visit in person,
we
hope that visiting this web site will help you to experience something
of this very special place, where Christians have been worshiping for
more than 1400 years.
The church is open every day
from April till October and on Saturdays,
Sundays, Wednesdays and bank holidays from November till March, weather
permitting. Visitors
are encouraged to sign the Visitors' Book and to write prayer
requests in another book. When the church is closed each day,
prayers are said for all who have asked and for all visitors.
A prayer for all who visit St. Tudno’s Church:
Father God, who
led St. Tudno
To this blessed
and holy place,
Lead us through
life’s joys and sorrows,
Help us feel your
peace and grace.
Amen
If you would like
more information on St. Tudno's Church, please click here to contact
one of the
wardens
or the Rector.
Please see the map for directions to the
church. For the Sunday morning services, transport
is available between Holy
Trinity Church in Llandudno town centre and St. Tudno's Church.
Thank you for
visiting
Diolch am eich ymweliad
St. Tudno
Window in Holy
Trinity Church
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In the sixth century the
young Tudno (pronounced “Tidno”) entered the
monastery of Bangor is Coed, near Chester, which was renowned for its
learning, patriotism and missionary zeal. In faith, Tudno then came to
the ancient rock of the Great Orme and climbed the steep paths of the
windswept headland to bring to the little round stone huts the message
of Christianity.
St. Tudno’s Church, on the Great Orme, is an emblem
in stone of the witness of men down the ages to the faith first brought
to this part by Tudno, Saint and Confessor.
St. Tudno is now the
patron saint of Llandudno and his feast day is celebrated on 5th June.
Extract from
T.F. Wynne's booklet St. Tudno
and St. Tudno’s Church,
available from the church
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One of many
Celtic crosses in the churchyard
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St. Tudno founded his cell on
the Great Orme in the sixth century but
no trace of the original building remains. The present church was
built in the 12th century but extended in the 15th century. In
1839
the roof was damaged by a severe storm and it was decided not to repair
the church but to build a new church nearer the centre of what was then
the village of Llandudno.
In 1840 St. George's Church was
built in
Church Walks and served the mainly Welsh-speaking population. St.
Tudno’s Church was neglected until 1855 when an appeal was made for
£100 to repair the roof and Mr. W.H. Reece of Birmingham and Plas
Tudno, Llandudno, "gratefully resolved to restore the church at his
sole cost as a thank offering for Divine Goodness". The repair
work
began on St. Tudno’s day and the church was re-opened for public
service on St. Luke’s day (18th October) 1855.
Stigmata
boss
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The
oldest part of the present building is the north wall of the nave,
which dates from the 12th century. The font dates back to
the
12th century and fixed to the south wall are two fine old stone coffin
lids, which date back to the 13th century. On either side of the
east
window are painted tablets with the Lord's Prayer, the Creed and the
Ten Commandments in the Welsh language.
In the roof is a wood carving,
above the sanctuary step where people kneel to receive Holy
Communion. This
is the stigmata, or representation of the five wounds of our
Saviour, which depicts the two hands, the two feet and the side, each
bearing a wound. There is a similar boss in the neighbouring
church of
Llanrhos. Obviously the work of a local craftsman, these two
bosses
are thought to be the only examples of their kind in the country.
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Information from T.F. Wynne's booklet St. Tudno and St. Tudno’s Church,
available from the church
The churchyard, within the
boundary wall surrounding the church, was
for many years the main burial place for the people of Llandudno, whose
coffins and gravestones had to be brought up the steep roads of the
Great Orme. The earliest inscribed stones date from the 18th
century
and can be found close to the south wall of the church.
St. Tudno's churchyard has been
closed
for burials for many years and the Church in Wales regulations do not
permit scattering of ashes in churchyards. Please please
click here to contact
one of the
wardens
or the Rector
if you wish to
locate a particular grave in the churchyard. However, there is
often confusion as to whether a grave “on the Orme” is in the
churchyard or in the adjoining Cemetery, which is administered by Conwy
County Borough Council (01492 544677).
The
large cemetery and the cemetery chapel are shown in the foreground of
this photograph. Just beyond the cemetery are St. Tudno's Church
and
churchyard, surrounded by a boundary wall.
The cemetery opened in September 1903 and the majority of burials after
this time would have been in the cemetery rather than the
churchyard.
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Children are very
welcome at St. Tudno's. The open air services are ideal for children:
the service style is relaxed with plenty of hymns, there are
interesting things to look at (birds, boats on the sea, maybe even some
of the Great Orme goats), younger children can wander about and older
ones might like to ring the bell before the service (it's quite a small
bell) or help to take the collection.
Don't worry if the service is inside the church instead of outside -
everyone is welcome and no one minds a bit of noise.
Many thanks to Sophia (aged 8) for this lovely, and very
accurate,
picture
of St. Tudno's, which she drew during an open air service.
Dogs are very welcome and
there are some
who are regular members of
the congregation. Nobody minds if they try to join in the hymns!
Don't worry if the service is
inside the church instead of outside
- dogs are welcome to come in too.
If your dog is thirsty, a bowl
of water can be found in the porch.
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News, services and events in 2013
Opening
times
From 1 April to 31 October, St. Tudno's is
open every day.
From
1 November to 31 March the church is open weekends,
Wednesdays and bank holidays, weather permitting.
Morning Prayer
Morning
Prayer is said at
St. Tudno's at 9.00 am every Saturday throughout the
year (weather permitting).
Open
air services
Open air services are held at St. Tudno's at 11.00 am on Sundays
during the summer, though if the weather is poor the service will
normally be
held in the church.
The first open air service in 2013 will be on Sunday May 26 at 11.00 am
and the
final service will be on Sunday 29 September. On the
first Sunday in the month, the open air service is followed by a
shortened Eucharist service in the church.
During the summer, the parish provides a taxi
service
between Holy
Trinity Church in Llandudno and St. Tudno's Church for the Sunday
morning services. The taxi(s) depart from
Trinity
Square, outside the entrance to Holy Trinity Church, at 10.30 am and
will return from St. Tudno's at 12.00 noon (or at 12.15 pm to allow
time to
attend the short Eucharist service on the first Sunday in each
month). The service is free to the users but donations towards
the cost are welcome.
Please use this link to see the full list of services
at St. Tudno's in 2013 - 2014.
Spring working party
This will be held on saturday 11 May at 10.00 am. The jobs
will
include setting out the benches for the open air services, tidying the
churchyard and cleaning the church.
Recent events
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Winter Service Season 2012 - 2013
Durind 2012 - 2013 there
was, for the first
time, a series of services
at St. Tudno's throughout the winter, as shown below. As a result
of this successful experiment, there will be monthly services at St.
Tudno's from autumn 2013 - spring 2014.
November 4th 11.00 a.m. An ‘All
Saintstide’ Service
December 23rd 3.00 p.m. & 5.00 p.m. Carols by
Candlelight
February 3rd 11.00 a.m.
Eucharist for Candlemass Sunday
March 27th (Wed) 7.00 pm A service of Light and Shadows for Holy Week,
with Rhoscystennin Parish. During this service the old Pascal
Candle will be extinguished.
March 31st 6.30
a.m. Easter Liturgy for Easter Day: Blessing
of the new Easter Candle, Vigil Readings, Renewal of Baptismal Vows and
the
First Eucharist of Easter. This service was followed by a shared,
cooked breakfast.
April
28th
11.00 a.m. Eastertide Praise |
Easter
At 6.30 am on Sunday 31 March the
Easter Liturgy was held at St. Tudno's and included lighting of the new
Pascal Candle from a new fire, renewal of Baptismal Vows and the first
Eucharist of
Easter. The service was followed by a cooked breakfast, provided
by the Friends
of St. Tudno's Church.
Candlemass
On
Sunday 3 February there was a Eucharist for Candlemass, as part of the
winter service season. The service was followed by hot drinks and
cakes.
Carols
by Candlelight
The services were held on Sunday 23 December, and were attended by
about 120 people at 3.00 pm, including the Holy
Trinity Choir, and about 60 at 5.00 pm. This photograph was
taken at the first service and shows the choir performing a
carol. There are some more photographs on the Special
Events
and Friends
of St. Tudno's pages.
Remembrance Service
There
was a short Service of
Remembrance at 9.00 am on Saturday 10 November, for those who lost
their lives in the Boer War. Wreaths were laid at the Boer War
memorial in the churchyard by the Mayor of Llandudno, Cllr Mrs Myra
Wigzell, and by the Lions Club of Llandudno. There
is another photograph on the Special
Events page.
Winter
service season
The
new winter service season got off to a good start with a well attended
"All Saintstide" service on Sunday 4 November. In the beautiful
weather it was almost tempting to have an open air service! The
service was followed by hot drinks and home made cakes.
Autumn
Working Party
This was on Saturday 13
October. There was a good turnout on a lovely day and we were
able to clean the church,
tidy the sheds and churchyard, put away the benches and check
the tombstones, as shown below. There is another photo on the Friends
of St. Tudno's page.
Harvest
Thanksgiving Evening Service
This year we revived an old
tradition of Harvest
Thanksgiving services at St. Tudno's - the last service was in
1988. The service was at 4.00
pm on Sunday 30 September and this was the last service of the
summer season. During the service there was a collection of
packets and tins of food for Conwy Food Share and the service was
followed by tea and
cakes. The Friends
of St. Tudno's Church decorated the church and provided the
refreshments and there are more photographs on the Friends'
and Special
Events pages.
Service
for International Day of Peace
On
Sunday 23 September we were delighted to welcome to St. Tudno's members
of Soropotomists International, Llandudno, for an afternoon service to
celebrate the International Day of Peace.
The Friends' AGM was held on
Saturday 22 August and began
with a Eucharist service at St. Tudno's at 11.00 am, at which the
celebrant and preacher was Bishop Andrew of Bangor.
The photograph shows the Rector and Bishop Andrew (right) after the
service.
Church open day
On Saturday 15 September the Friends
of St. Tudno's Church "manned" the church for an open day.
This included refreshments, stalls, a slideshow of old pictures of St.
Tudno's and tours of the church and churchyard. There are more
more photographs on the Friends'
and Special
Events pages.
Open
Air Songs of Praise
The annual service was held on
Sunday 26 August at 4.00
pm. Following the success of last year's service, members of the
congregation again chose and introduced a favourite hymn.
Bumblebee nest
August:
we are delighted that a bumblebee nest has been found in the
churchyard. You can find out more about the bumblebees and other
wildlife in the churchyard on this
new webpage.
Concelebrated Eucharist
On
Tuesday 10 July St. Tudnno's was pleased to welcome members of the
Bangor and St. Asaph branches of the Society of Catholic Priests (SCP),
who held their annual Concelebrated Eucharist at the church. The
photograph shows SCP members and the organist after the service.
Service of Thanksgiving and
Rededication
On
Sunday 1 July at 3.00 pm there was a special Service of
Thanksgiving and Rededication to celebrate the completion of renovation
work at St. Tudno’s Church on the Great Orme. The church was
founded in the 6th century by Llandudno’s patron saint, with the
present building dating from the 12th – 15th centuries. Major
restoration work, including re-roofing, was carried out in 1855 but by
2009 time and the exposed position of the church had taken their toll
and the roof needed to be replaced again.
In
September 2009 the Friends of St. Tudno’s Church launched
Sponsor-a-Slate as part of the fundraising, with the aim of finding
sponsors for 1000 slates. In the end, 1071 slates were sponsored,
with “landmark” slates sponsored by The Right Revd Andrew John, Bishop
of Bangor (number 500); Mr. Guto Bebb, MP for Aberconwy (number 750);
and the Most Revd Barry Morgan, Archbishop of Wales (number
1000).
The work
began at the end of February 2012, when the roof was stripped back to
the timbers. The sponsored slates were all labelled and fixed to
the roof on the south side of the church. The labels are not
visible, due to the overlapping slates, but the forms recording
sponsors and their messages have been bound into four Books of Sponsors
which will form part of the Parish Archive. The work on the roof
was completed with a traditional lime plaster on the under surface and
other work included stonework repairs and renovation of the bell
turret. The total cost of the work was £69,000 and this was
achieved by fundraising and from St. Tudno’s Church funds, without any
grant aid.
At the
service the preacher was the Very Revd Alun Hawkins, Dean
Emeritus of Bangor and Patron Emeritus of the Friends
of St. Tudno’s
Church, while Llandudno Town Council was represented by the Deputy
Mayor of Llandudno, Cllr Garry Burchett. Refreshments were
provided after the service by the Friends of St. Tudno's Church, when
there was also an opportunity to view
the Books of Sponsors. These books will be kept at St. Tudno’s
during the summer, and so will be available for viewing after services,
before being transferred to the Parish Archive at Holy Trinity
Church. Many of the supporters of Sponsor-a-Slate
attended the service, which began
outside with a procession around the church. We apologise to
anyone who was unable to enter the church for the service, due to the
number of people who attended.
There are more photographs on
the Friends
of St. Tudno's and Sponsor-a-Slate
pages.
Working Parties
There have been two working
parties at St. Tudno's this spring and summer:
Friday 25 May at 6.00 pm, to set out the benches for the open air
services;
Saturday 23 June at 9.30 am, to return the church to normal use
after
the restoration work.
There are some photographs on the Friends
of St. Tudno's page.
St.
Tudno's Day - Tuesday 5 June
Each year on St. Tudno's Day
there is a Pilgrimage Walk up the
Great Orme, from Holy
Trinity Church to St. Tudno's. This year the Pilgrimage began
with
a Eucharist service at Holy Trinity at 11.00 am. The walk began
from Holy Trinity at 12.00 noon and on the way to St.
Tudno's there were pauses for prayers and to say some of the Psalms of
Ascent. Packed lunches were
eaten in St. Tudno's churchyard at the end of the walk. There is
another photograph on the Special
Events page.
Service in
the Shed
The
renovation work was not completed until just after the start of the
2012 season of open air services, so alternative arrangements had to be
made for bad weather. One of the sheds was therefore turned into
a temporary chapel and was used for the service on Sunday 3 June.
Friends
of St. Tudno's Church Spring Fair
This was held at Holy Trinity on
Saturday 14 April, in aid of the current restoration work at St.
Tudno's. There are more photographs on the Special
Events and Friends
of St. Tudno's pages.
Preparation
for re-roofing
The
final service before St. Tudno's was closed for re-roofing was Morning
Prayer on Saturday 18 February. The Friends
of St. Tudno's Church then held a working party to clear the church
in preparation for the work, which will include replacement of the roof
lime plaster, in addition to re-slating.
Carols by Candlelight 2011
The annual services of Carols by
Candlelight were held on Sunday 18 December at 3.00 pm and at
5.00
pm.
The Friends of St Tudno's Church prepared the church but it was not
possbile to set out the path lights due to the squally weather.
However the weather did not put people off and we were delighted to
welcome 120 to the first service (first photo) and 55 to the second
(second photo). There are more photographs on the Friends
of St. Tudno's and Special
Events pages.
Please use these links for information on and photographs of events and
services at St. Tudno's during 2006-7, 2008,
in 2009,
in 2010,
and in 2011.
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Prayers
These
prayers were written by Revd Jane Allen, for some of our St.
Tudno prayer cards and were inspired by the presence of God which can
be felt in the church and the beauty of the surrounding countryside.
Lord
and Father, we thank you for the beauty of this place which you
created.
In all the uncertainties of our world, may the hills which
stand steadfast and sure about us speak of the steadfastness of your
love; may the sea around us with its eternal ebb and flow keep us aware
of your ever-flowing grace; may the open sky above us remind us that
your mercy is always offered to us.
Help us to remember that we are
part of your Creation and that you cherish us and hold us in the palm
of your hand.
Amen |
Great
Orme near St. Tudno’s Church
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Snowdonia
from the Great Orme
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Loving
Father, when the way seems difficult, when the day seems weary, when we
are troubled, or lonely, or sad, lift us up into your presence, just as
the hills are lifted up.
Comfort us with the knowledge of your love, nourish us with the beauty
of mountain and valley, sea and sky spread out before us.
Thus strengthened and refreshed, may we journey on, trusting that you
will guide us in the steep places, show us the pathway when it is
hidden or uneven, walk with us wherever our road may lead.
We ask this in the name of your dear Son, who is the way, the truth and
the life.
Amen
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Please use these links for websites with information on Llandudno and the Great Orme
and on events and
businesses in Llandudno.
Information on other churches in Llandudno can be found on the
Cytûn
(Churches Together in Llandudno) website:
Cytûn
- Llandudno
Churches Together
