St Mary's Church, Swansea

Swansea Minster (Welsh: Mystwyr Abertawe), or formally the Minster Church of St. Mary Swansea with Holy Trinity, and formerly St Mary's Church, is an Anglican Minster church in the centre of Swansea, Wales. It is considered the civic church of Swansea. It was designated as Wales' first minster church by the Church in Wales in 2024. There was a church on the site of St Mary's since circa 1328, erected by Henry de Gower, Bishop of Saint David's. One Sunday morning, in 1739, the roof of the nave collapsed into the church while the congregation was waiting to enter the building. The whole structure was re-built apart from the tower. 1822 saw the church being lit by gas for the first time with thirty six lamps. The church underwent complete renovation between 1879 and 1882 by Vicar Dr Morgan. In 1896, the church was flattened and rebuilt again under the designs of Arthur Blomfield by Dean Allan Smith, though some parts of the old church survived the re-development. In February 1941 the church was extensively damaged by Bombing during the Blitz. It was not rebuilt until the 1950s. From the 1890s the Swansea Devil stood on a set of buildings facing the west side of the church, constructed by a disgruntled rival of Blomfield's, angry at the commissioning of Blomfield's designs over his own. Above the church door, a carving of Jesus reigning in heaven by Nicholls of Lambeth in London is found, surrounded by the Evangelists in their traditional representations. The church is known for its architectural features, community outreach programmes, and regular worship services that cater to a diverse congregation. St Mary's has been a focal point of Swansea's religious and cultural heritage for centuries.