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 2010 will be on Sunday May 30 at 11.00 am
and the
final service will be on Sunday 26 September. The Parish provides
a taxi to the Sunday morning services. There
are also a number of special services
during the year and the first of
these in 2010 will be the Easter
Vigil on Saturday 3 April, while the last will be Carols by
Candlelight on Sunday 19 December at 3.00 pm and at 5.00 pm.
Please use this link to see the
list of services
at St. Tudno's in 2010, while details other services and
events in the
Parish can be found on the Calendar
and Special
Events pages.
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 2010
Please
use this link for a list of all services
Sponsor-a-Slate
The
roof of St. Tudno's Church needs to be replaced and there is an
oportunity to have your name on the new roof for £10.00 a
slate. Sponsor-a-Slate is a fundraising scheme being organised by
the Friends
of St. Tudno's Church. In June 2010 this appeal passed the
half-way point when the Bishop of Bangor sponsored the 500th
slate. Please see the Sponsor-a-Slate
page for further information and sponsor forms.
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 be
held in the church.
The first open air service in 2010 will be on Sunday May 30 at 11.00 am
and the
final service will be on Sunday 26 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 (this allows 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.
Compline
by Candlelight
Once a month during the summer there is a service of Compline by
Candlelight in the church at 7.30 pm. The services in 2010 will
be on the following dates.
Tuesday 8 June
Tuesday 13 July
Tuesday 10 August
Tuesday 14 September
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Fair
Saturday
4 September, 10.00 am – 2.00 pm
Stalls, refreshments, soft toy bungee jump – is your soft toy brave
enough?
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Ray
Millington’s Open House
Saturday
18 September
10.00 am – 4.00 pm
1 Pine Grove Court, Rhos-on-Sea
Refreshments, etc
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Open
Churches Day
St. Tudno's will again be taking part in the national Open
Churches Day on Saturday 18 September. The church will be
"manned" from 10.00 am - 5.00 pm and the Friends
of St. Tudno's Church will be serving refreshments and selling
their special souvenirs, Christmas cards and photographs of the Great
Orme. There will also be opportunities to have a guided tour of
the church, consult the churchyar records and take part in
Sponsor-a-Slate.
Evening Prayer
The last service of the summer
season will be Evening Prayer at 4.00 pm on Sunday 26 September.
The service will be followed by tea and cakes.
Carols by Candlelight
The annual services of Carols by
Candlelight will be on Sunday 19 December at 3.00 pm and at 5.00
pm.
There are two services as the church is small and the service is very
popular. Please note that there is no heating in the church - but
the welcome will be very warm! The paths will be lit, weather
permitting.
Please use this link to see the full
list of services
at St. Tudno's in 2010
Please use this link to see
photographs and details of similar services
and events in 2009.
Recent events
Songs
of Praise
The annual open air Songs of
Praise was held on Sunday 28 August at
4.00 pm. Unfortunately, due to very high winds, the service was
actually held in the church.
Concelebrated
Eucharist
St.
Tudno's was pleased to welcome the Bangor and St. Asaph branch of
the
Society of Catholic Priests, who again held their annual
Concelebrated Eucharist in the church. The service was on
Tuesday 29 June at 7.00 pm and the main celebrant was Bishop Andrew
of Bangor.
Country Park Anniversary Service
The
open air service on Sunday 6 June was a special one to celebrate
the 30th anniversary of the Great Orme Country
Park.
St. Tudno's Day
Our Patronal
Festival was on Saturday 5 June. Celebrations
began with a short act of worship at Holy Trinity
Church
at noon. This was followed by a pilgrimage
walk up the Great Orme to St. Tudno's Church.
There were pauses
for prayers and reflections (and lunch) on the way and there was an act
of
dedication at St. Tudno's Well, which we visited by kind
permission of the landowner.
At 3.00 pm there was a Eucharist
service
in St. Tudno's Church, at which Llandudno Town Council was represented
by the Mayor of Llandudno, Councillor Mrs. Ann Yates. The
service was followed by tea and cakes in the church grounds.
During the day the road past St. Tudno's was closed for
the "Three
Castles
Classic Welsh Trial"
for classic cars, so it was not possbile for cars to leave
until
5.00 pm but the churchyard offered a "grandstand view" of this part of
the rally!
Spring
working party
The annual working party was
held on Saturday 15 May, starting at
10.00 am. This will included setting out the benches for the open
air services, checking stability of the headstones and cleaning and
tidying the church and churchyard. Tea and cakes were provided
and there were jobs to suit everyone!
Spring Fair
Easter Vigil
The Easter Vigil was held at St.
Tudno's on Saturday 3 April. The service began with lighting of
the new fire and blessing of the Pascal Candle.
Winter
at St. Tudno's
St. Tudno's Church in the snow in January 2010.
Carols by Candlelight 2009
The
annual services of Carols by Candlelight were held at 3.00 pm and at
5.00 pm on Sunday 20 December and these photographs were taken at and
after the second service. Many people braved the "severe weather"
warnings to attend the services but instead of snow the day ended with
a clear, starlit night. The candles and path lights were prepared
by the Friends
of St. Tudno's Church and there are more photographs on the Friends
of St. Tudno's Church 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
and in 2009.
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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
