St Mary's Church, Cardiff

{{Short description|Former church in Cardiff, Wales}} {{use dmy dates|date=June 2014}} {{use British English|date=June 2014}} {{Infobox church | name = St Mary's Church | other_name = | native_name = {{langx|cy|Eglwys Fair}} | native_name_lang = | image = John Speed's map of Cardiff 1610.jpg | image_size = | alt = 1610 map of Cardiff | caption = [[John Speed]]'s 1610 map of Cardiff, showing the southerly location of St Mary's Church, next to the [[River Taff]].

| coordinates =  | osgraw =  | location = [[Cardiff]] | country = [[Wales]]

| denomination = | previous_denomination = [[Anglican]] | churchmanship =

| former_name = | founded = 1107 | founder = | dedication = | events = | status = [[Church (building)|Church]] (former) | functional_status = {{ubl|Abandoned ({{circa|1701)}}|Demolished}} | heritage_designation = | designated = | architectural_type = | style = | completed = | closed = {{circa|1701}} | demolished = 1701 (Ruins) | capacity = | materials = | parish = | deanery = | archdeaconry = | archdiocese = | metropolis = | diocese = | province = | district = | division = | rector = | vice-rector = | vicar = | abbot = }}

'''St Mary's Church''' ({{langx|cy|Eglwys Fair}}) was an [[Anglican]] [[Church (building)|church]] in [[Cardiff]], [[Wales]], which stood at the south end of the current [[St. Mary's Street, Cardiff|St. Mary's Street]], from 1107 until 1620. After severe flood damage it was abandoned in 1701 and later replaced at a different location in 1843.

==Early history== St Mary's was founded as a [[Benedictine]] [[priory]] in the 1080s, by [[Robert Fitzhamon]]<ref name=Genuki>{{cite web|title=Cardiff St. Mary|url=http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/wal/GLA/Cardiff/StMary/|work=Cardiff|publisher=Genuki.org.uk|accessdate= 1 April 2013}} Genuki quotes from ''The Old Parish Churches of Gwent, Glamorgan & Gower'' (1991), by Mike Salter.</ref> (also founder of [[Tewkesbury Abbey]] in 1092). However, the site next to the [[River Taff]] was a poor one, susceptible to both continual flooding and [[river erosion]].<ref name=BBCWalk/> Even after stabilising the foundations, bodies from burials would regularly be washed down the river. The abbey withdrew the monks in 1211.<ref name=Cardiffians>{{cite web|url=http://www.cardiffians.co.uk/timeline.shtml|title=Timeline|publisher=Cardiffians.co.uk|accessdate= 31 December 2011}}</ref>

==Destruction== In 1607, the area of [[England]] and [[Wales]] bordering the [[Bristol Channel]] experienced a devastating flood. The flood has been at various later times been attributed to a [[storm surge]] or a [[tsunami]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/6311527.stm|title=Anniversary of 1607 killer wave|publisher=[[BBC News]]|date=30 January 2007|access-date= 8 May 2013}}</ref> The [[Bristol Channel floods, 1607|Bristol Channel floods]] washed away much of St Mary's [[Foundation (engineering)|foundations]]<ref>{{cite book|first=William L.|last=Jenkins|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-QUIAAAAQAAJ&dq=cardiff+1607&pg=PA31|title=A History of the Town and Castle of Cardiff|pages=31–33|publisher=Charles Wakeford|year=1854|accessdate= 8 May 2013}}</ref> and it slowly began to collapse.

In 1620, the decision was made to make [[St John the Baptist Church, Cardiff|St John's]] the main parish church, which was originally just a [[chapel of ease]]. The two churches were worked as one parish, with all burials and some services continuing at St Mary's.

In 1638, the [[vicar]] of St Mary's, [[William Erbery]], was forced to resign, his [[curate]] [[Walter Cradock]] had his licence revoked, and senior members of the congregation were barred from the premises after they refused to read the [[Book of Sports]]. These people, together with others of a similar mind, formed the core of a new congregation that, after the [[English Civil War]] and subsequent [[Restoration (England)|Restoration]], in 1696 were granted land in [[Womanby Street]] which allowed them to build the first Trinity Church (later known as a [[Presbyterian]] chapel).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~cdfplacesofworship/pow/cdfcentralwomanbystcong.html|title=Trinity Chapel|publisher=ancestry.com|accessdate= 30 December 2012}}</ref>

By 1678, with evidence from the visit of [[Francis Place (artist)|Francis Place]] and later essays from the Celtic scholar [[Edward Lhuyd]], both described St Mary's as being in ruins. The tower collapsed in 1680<ref name=BBCWalk /> and the last recorded burial in the churchyard took place in 1698.<ref name=Cardiffians/> The last service was held in a roofless ruin in 1701, after which St Mary's was abandoned.<ref name=BBCWalk>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/southeast/sites/nhob_walk/includes/walk_printout.sssi?1|archive-url=https://archive.today/20041107090123/http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/southeast/sites/nhob_walk/includes/walk_printout.sssi?1|url-status=dead|archive-date=7 November 2004|title=Cardiff city and Bay circular walk|publisher=[[BBC Wales]]|accessdate= 30 December 2012}}</ref>

==Replacement and later developments== In 1843, [[John Crichton-Stuart, 2nd Marquess of Bute]] donated the land for the construction of the Church of St. Mary the Virgin (the present Church of St Mary and St Stephen) in [[Bute Street (Cardiff)|Bute Street]] as a permanent replacement.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.peterfinch.co.uk/bute.htm|title=Bute|publisher=peterfinch.co.uk|accessdate= 30 December 2012}}</ref> The cost of construction, however, was met by public appeal for funds. The 1843 church was designed by [[Thomas Foster (architect)|Thomas Foster]] of [[Bristol]]. The east end (by [[J. D. Sedding]]) was added in 1884, later enlarged in 1907. Wall paintings decorate the [[chancel]] arch.<ref>{{Coflein|desc=St Mary the Virgin & St Stephen the Martyr Church, Bute Street |num=14227 |accessdate= 1 April 2013}}</ref> The church is a Grade II [[listed building]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin and St Stephen the Martyr, including forecourt wall and railings, Butetown|url=http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/wa-13981-parish-church-of-st-mary-the-virgin-and-s|publisher=British Listed Buildings|accessdate= 1 April 2013}}</ref><ref>{{National Historic Assets of Wales|num=13981 |desc=Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin and St Stephen the Martyr, including forecourt wall and railings |grade=II |access-date=3 April 2019}}</ref>

The River Taff was diverted in 1850 (by [[Isambard Kingdom Brunel]]) to create a site to build the [[Cardiff Central railway station]], also resulting in the creation of [[Westgate Street (Cardiff)|Westgate Street]].

The Theatre Royal (later the ''[[Prince of Wales Theatre, Cardiff|Prince of Wales]]'' theatre) was built on the site of the old church in 1878.<ref name=Cardiffians/> This is now the location of the current ''Prince of Wales'' [[public house]]. The outline of a Gothic church was included on one wall of the theatre, denoting its location on the St Mary's church site.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/extraordinary-stories-theatre-turned-sex-13536107 |title=The extraordinary stories of the theatre turned sex cinema which is now one of Wales' best known pubs |date=27 August 2017 |work=Wales Online |accessdate=1 December 2018 }}</ref>

== Gallery == <gallery> West side of The Prince of Wales, Cardiff.jpg|The outline of a Gothic church on The Prince of Wales pub, which gives a nod to the nearby site of St Mary's St Mary's Church Bute Street Cardiff.jpg|Church of St Mary and St Stephen, [[Bute Street, Cardiff|Bute Street]] </gallery>

==See also== {{Portal|Christianity|Architecture|Wales}} * [[History of Cardiff]] {{clear}}

==References== {{reflist|30em}}

==External links== * [http://www.cardiffstjohncityparish.org.uk/Parish_history.htm History – Cardiff City Centre Parish]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cardiff, Saint Mary}} [[Category:12th-century church buildings in Wales]] [[Category:Church in Wales church buildings in Cardiff]] [[Category:Churches in Cardiff|Saint Mary]] [[Category:Destroyed churches in Wales]] [[Category:Former Anglican church buildings in the United Kingdom]] [[Category:Former churches in Cardiff|Saint Mary]] [[Category:History of Cardiff]]