THE church where the Welsh hymn-writer and poet Ann Griffiths is buried within the churchyard has change into the topic of disagreement over its proposed sale.
St Michael’s, Llanfihangel-yng-Ngwynfa, within the diocese of St Asaph, was listed with a neighborhood agent for a guide price of £30,000; but, after a national outcry, and a petition signed by greater than 1200 people at change.org, the Church in Wales has agreed to pause the sale process: “Given the recent expressions of interest in the long run of the constructing, the Representative Body of the Church in Wales will postpone the auction sale for a yr to enable further discussions to happen.”
The present church on the location was in-built the 1860s, but was closed in early 2020, owing to the necessity for structural repairs costing in excess of £200,000. These were, an official statement said, “greater than the resources of the local worshipping community”.
Griffiths, who died in 1805, aged 29, is taken into account to be probably the most significant writers of hymns in Welsh.
The enthronement of Dr Rowan Williams as Archbishop of Canterbury, in 2003, featured his own translation of certainly one of her hymns, “The Lord Jesus” (“Yr Arglwydd Iesu”). She also wrote “Behold, standing between the myrtle trees”, which went on to be set in its Welsh version to the hymn tune Cwm Rhondda. In turn, this tune was taken on for a hymn by William Williams Pantycelyn, which was translated as “Guide me, O thou great Redeemer”.
The petition to save lots of St Michael’s argues that “it was here that she was baptized and married.” She died, nonetheless, about six a long time before the current church was constructed, on the identical site. The previous constructing was the one which Griffiths would have known, and the Church in Wales has stated that “the proposed sale of the constructing would retain public access to the churchyard, including the memorial to Ann Griffiths”.
One of the signatories to the petition, Arfon Jones, said: “This church and its history is a Welsh national treasure, and it ought to be owned by the nation. The Church in Wales should take it off the market to permit a community enterprise opportunity to purchase the identical.”
The Representative Body has confirmed that it has delayed the sale due to representations from the community, and that it’s open to all approaches for alternative use. “Anyone involved in exploring possible options for this church should contact the Representative Body.”
