| St Peter ad Vincula, Pennal | |
Photo of the church
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| Country | United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Denomination | Church in Wales |
| Website | www.hearthstone.co.uk www.churchinwales.org.uk |
| History | |
| Founded | 6th Century CE |
| Dedication | Saint Peter in Chains |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Pennal |
| Deanery | Cyfeiliog & Mawddwy |
| Archdeaconry | Meirionnydd |
| Diocese | Diocese of Bangor |
| Province | Wales |
The parish church of St Peter ad Vincula (meaning Saint Peter in Chains) in the village of Pennal in Gwynedd, north-west Wales, is notable as the site of the last senate meeting held by the renegade Welsh prince, Owain Glyndŵr. It was founded in the 6th century.
It is thought that the church was so named by Glyndŵr in competition with the chapel of St Peter ad Vincula in the Tower of London, one of the chapels royal of his rival, King Henry IV of England.
A copy of Glyndŵr's "Pennal Letter" of 1406, a letter to the King of France setting out his plans for an independent Wales, originated from Pennal. While the original letter remains in the Archives Nationales in Paris, a copy is displayed at the Parliament House in Machynlleth, and at the National Library of Wales. The letter was briefly returned to Wales from France for an exhibition at the National Library of Wales in 2000,[1] and a campaign has since sprung up for it to be returned permanently to Wales and put on show at the National Assembly building in Cardiff.
A memorial garden has been created in the churchyard for the native Welsh princes.