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 2009 will be on Sunday May 31 at 11.00 am
and the
final service will be on Sunday 27 September There will be an
additional service in the church on Sunday 24 May at 11.00 am. Morning
Prayer is said at St. Tudno's most Saturday mornings at 9.00 am. There
are also a number of special services during the year and the first of
these in 2009 will be the Easter
Vigil on Saturday 11 April, while the last will be Carols by
Candlelight at 3.00 pm and at 5.00 pm on Sunday 20 December. Please
see below for more details of services
and use this link to see the
list of services
at St. Tudno's in 2009, 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
will be 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 2009
Please
use this link for a list of all services
Morning Prayer
Morning
Prayer is said at St. Tudno's at 9.00 am every Saturday throughout the
year.
Open air services
Open air services are held at 11.00 am
every Sunday morning from the end of May until the end of
September. This year, there was an additional service on Sunday
24 May. On the first Sunday in the
month, the open air service is followed by a shortened Communion
service in the church. For the Sunday morning
services, transport
will be available between Holy
Trinity Church in Llandudno town centre and St. Tudno's
Church.
Compline by Candlelight
Once a
month during the summer, Compline is said by candlelight in the
church. Each service is on a Tuesday evening at 7.30 pm and the
dates will be 9 June, 7 July, 18 August and 7 September.
Pet
Blessing Service
The popular Pet Blessing Service will be
held on Sunday 28 June at 4.00 pm. Weather permitting, the
service will be held in the open air and all pets and their owners are
welcome. Please use this link to see some
photographs from last
year's service.
Concelebrated
Eucharist
St.
Tudno's is please to welcome the Bangor and St. Asaph branch of the
Society of Catholic Priests, who will again be holding their
Concelebrated Eucharist in the church. The service will be on
Tuesday 14 July at 7.00 pm and all are welcome to attend. Please use this link to see some
photographs from last
year's service.
Open Air Songs of Praise
The annual service will be
held on Sunday 30 August at 4.00 pm. If the weather is bad, the
service will be held in the church.
Friends
of St. Tudno's Church Eucharist
There will be a Eucharist
service for the Friends
of St. Tudno's Church on Saturday 26 September at 11.00 am and all
are welcome to attend. The service will be followed by the
Friend's A.G.M. in Llandudno. Please see the Friend's
page for information on the group.
Evensong
The main service season for
2009 will finish with Evensong in the church on Sunday 27 September at
4.00 pm. The service will be followed by tea and cakes.
Carols by Candlelight 2009
The
annual services of Carols by
Candlelight will be on Sunday 20
December at 3.00 pm and at 5.00 pm. There are two services as
the
service is very popular but the church is quite small. There is
no heating in the church but the paths wil be lit (weather
permitting).
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Recent events
St.
Tudnotide Celebrations
St. Tudno's Day, Friday 5
June:
a Pilgrim Walk from Holy Trinity
to St. Tudno's, was followed by Eucharist in
the church and Blessing at St. Tudno’s Well (by kind permission of the
landowners).
The Pilgrimage walk began with a short service at Holy Trinity Church
at
12.15 pm and the pilgrims then walked along the Prom. at North Shore
before climbing up the Camera Obscura for the first stop. After
saying one of the Psalms of Ascent and some prayers, the walk continued
via Happy Valley to the second stop, above the ski slope. The
Pilgrimage concluded with prayers in St. Tudno's Church, allowing
the pilgrims time to eat their sandwiches before the Eucharist
service.
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After the Eucharist service, a
few more people joined the morning's pilgrims for the second Pilgrimage
walk, to St. Tudno's Well, where a short service was held,
including blessing of the well water. The pilgrims were then
annointed with a cross with the well water and some of the water was
poured over their hands.
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Saturday 6 June: the St. Tudnotide celebrations continued with a
Eucharist service at 2.30 pm. The Celebrant & Preacher was Bishop
Andrew of Bangor and the Llandudno Town Council was represented at the
service by the Deputy Mayor and her Consort, Councillor Anne Yates and
Mr. Yates. In contrast to the lovely weather of the day before,
the Saturday was very windy and wet and the the tea and cakes following
the service were therefore served in the church, rather than in the
grounds.
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St. Tudno's Working Party
A working party with the Friends
of St. Tudno's Church was held on Saturday 16 May.
Jobs completed included moving the benches from the shed to the
churchyard, ready for the open air services.
There are more
details
and photographs on the Friends'
page.
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Easter Vigil
The
Easter
Vigil service took place on
Saturday 11 April at 7.30 pm. The service began outside with
blessing
the Pascal Candle and lighting it from the New Fire.
The candle was the carried into the church and after the the Exultet
had been sung,
readings were heard in the darkened church and the Easter
Proclamation was followed by simultaneous fanfare on the organ, ringing
of the
bell
and switching on of the lights.
After singing an Easter hymn,
water for baptism was blessed in the font and baptismal vows
renewed.
Tombstone
Survey 2009
All headstones in the churchyard were inspected in
January 2009 and loose stones were
marked with warning tape. A list of stones requiring attention is
being compiled, please contact the warden for
details. The Friends
of St. Tudno's Church assisted with the survey and some photographs
can be found on the Friends'
page.
Carols by
Candlelight 2008
The
annual services of Carols by
Candlelight were on Sunday 21
December at 3.00 pm and at 5.00 pm. There were two services as
the
service is very popular but the church is quite small. Despite
the very windy weather, 99 people attended the first service and 102
the second. The Friends
of St. Tudno's Church prepared the church with candles inside and
lights outside and there are some more photographs on the Friends'
page and on the 2008
Events page.
Please use these links for information on and photographs of events and
services at St. Tudno's during 2006-7 and in 2008
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Prayers
These
prayers were written by our Vicar, 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.
