St Michael's
Church is located in the small village of Llanfihangel-y-Pennant,
close to t
he Afon (river) Dysynni. The Dysynni Valley is a truly beautiful
location and there are a number of walks that pass by St Michael's Church.
Considerable repairs were undertaken
to the church between 1878
and 1881 with a new Vestry being added at the same time. I have
been unable to find any other information about the establishment of
the church but it is a lovely old church in a fantastic location and
it is well worth a visit, perhaps while visiting the ancient ruins of Castell
y Bere, just a few
hundred yards along the lane.
The church houses an exhibition about Mary Jones, 1784-1866, the local
girl who in the year 1800, at the age of 16 walked barefoot from Llanfihangel-y-Pennant
to Bala, (some 26 miles) to procure from the Rev. Thomas Charles, a copy
of the Welsh Bible. Her parents’ graves
are to be found in the churchyard of St Michael's but the grave of Mary
herself is to be found in the churchyard at Bethlehem Chapel in nearby
Bryncrug.
The church is also worth exploring not only for the Mary
Jones exhibits, but also for an interesting 14ft long three dimensional
cloth map of the Dysynni valley.
A memorial obelisk to Mary Jones can be found close by at
the ruin of the cottage where she lived.