| The Church | |
| ST PETER AD VINCULA PENNAL | |
| Tucked away in the foothills of Cadair Country, the peace and simplicity of this ancient church has much to offer our busy, hectic and often troubled world. Although proud of its colourful past, Pennal Church is orientated towards the future, making full use of its spiritual heritage to ensure that it can look after and maintain this sacred space for the benefit of generations to come. |  |
| Its beauty and tranquility are contagious. Remember, you don't have to be a monk or a nun, you don't even have to be religious, to benefit from the age-old privilege of being still. | |
| Rooted in its Celtic, and more recently in the Anglican traditions, Pennal Church is a UNITY CHURCH, part of a worldwide network committed to both inter-church and inter-faith relationships. It is a global spirituality that is seeking to bring members of different religions together to socialise, to share silence and hopefully, 'common prayer'. This will help deepen our understanding of one another. | |
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St Peter ad Vincula Pennal is the only church with this dedication in Wales. It refers to the story in Acts of the Apostles 12, when Peter was imprisoned in Jerusalem and later freed. Ad Vinculum is any kind of link that joins together for example the Welsh word 'cwlwm', means knot. A wedding ring is a vinculum, symbolizing the union of two people. Mediaeval Alchemists searched for the mysterious material or vinculum that united the whole of Creation. |
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The parish church of the Tower of London shares the same dedication - by coincidence during the 1400's Welsh war of independence both Glyndwr and Henry IV had chapels royal with the same name. In Rome the famous basilica of the same name is San Piatro in Vincoli. It houses the famous statue of Moses by Michaelangelo which is part of the monument to Julius II (1543). There are 16 churches in England with the same name: Ashwater Some of these may be closed now. Some share the dedication with another saint. We understand that there is one in Canada and S Africa Do you know of any? |
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Pennal Church also has links with the site that Peter went to after being liberated from his chains, the house that included the famous 'upper room', in Jerusalem. Today it's St Marks Church and monastery on the north slope of Mount Zion. St Mark belongs to the Syrian Oriental Orthodox Church. They still read the new testament in aramaic, the language of Jesus. |
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