Our Lady of Penrhys

History

Penrhys is an ancient site of pilgrimage, with a Holy Well which was very likely to have been regarded as a place of healing in pre-Christian days. In common with many such springs it was dedicated to the Virgin Mary and known since the early centuries of Christian Wales as Ffynnon Fair – St Mary’s Well. A very small Pennant stone building – the Wellhouse to Ffynnon Fair – was erected over the spring and is now in the care of the local Council.

In the time of King Henry VIII, Penrhys was regarded as an important shrine. A small wooden statue was enshrined in the shrine chapel – with a legend claiming that it had miraculously appeared in the branches of an oak tree, and had proven impossible to move until a chapel was built to house it (a larger structure, not the surviving Wellhouse Chapel). The King’s supporter, Bishop Latimer, wrote to Thomas Cromwell suggesting the destruction of a number of shrines of Our Lady, naming Penrhys alongside other famous shrines such as Walsingham and Ipswich. The wooden statues from all these shrines were consigned to a bonfire at Cromwell’s own house in Chelsea on 26 September, 1538.

In the early 20th century a certain Miss M. M. Davies procured a wooden replica of the original statue of Penrhys, which was placed prominently in a new church she also sponsored at Ferndale, named for Our Lady of Penrhys. Sadly, this church is now closed. The statue (pictured) is now enshrined in Ss Gabriel & Raphael Church in Tonypandy. In 1936, Rev P.J. Gibbons, parish priest of the church at Ferndale revived the custom of pilgrimages to Penrhys. Three years later, the Rhondda Borough Council, recognising the importance of the site, took measures to restore and protect the Holy Well.

A statue of Portland stone was commissioned, based on descriptions left behind in medieval Welsh poetry. A small plot of land was obtained at the ridge where the two Rhondda Valleys meet, about 160 metres from the site of the ancient well. This is thought to be the site of the original shrine chapel. A plinth was placed here, and the new statue (pictured) was unveiled and blessed by the Archbishop of Cardiff, Michael McGrath, on 2 July 1953, in the presence of 20,000 pilgrims.

In 1998, Penrhys was included in the Cistercian Way, a network of pilgrim walking routes inaugurated to link the sites of 16 ancient (and two current) Cistercian monasteries across Wales. Local Anglicans also promote the Penrhys Pilgrimage Way, a 21-mile-walk from Llandaf Cathedral. Catholics might consider extending the pilgrimage by starting from Cardiff Metropolitan Cathedral. You can see the site as it looked in 2023 through the current Parish Priest’s Flickr Album.

Visiting the Shrine

The shrine (as in, the site of the statue) is freely accessible. A small car park is adjacent, accessed via a roundabout off the B4512. From there, a short walk across level grass will take you to the base of the statue. There are no amenities on the site, except for a litter bin. A little way down the slope, a modern amphitheatre has been constructed in the side of the valley.

The ancient spring is usually accessible, although the local Council is able to lock the gate. To reach the spring (in the stone Well Chapel) you will need to walk along the B4512 road west from the roundabout and take the first turning south-east (junction What3Words location: ///stray.lovely.defeat), then turning on to the footpath which runs directly south (///envy.solve.post), then a further path north-west (///modest.pans.bind) to finally reach the chapel entrance (///sprint.tunes.salon).

Pilgrims wishing to organise a Mass in a nearby Catholic church might consider St Mary Magdalene (7 minutes, 3 miles, driving) which has a hall suitable for eating packed lunches, but the hall is accessible only by steps; or Ss Gabriel & Raphael (11 minutes, 3.5 miles, driving) which has no hall. The local church on the Penrhys Estate, Llanfair Uniting Church, is also welcoming to pilgrims, by prior arrangement.

Pilgrims wishing to join local services should note that Mass is celebrated in St Mary Magdalene at 4 pm on Sundays and at 6.30 pm on most Thursdays. Mass is celebrated in Ss Gabriel & Raphael at 5.30 pm on Saturdays and at 10 am on most Fridays. A small group of parishioners gathers on Sundays at the statue to pray the rosary at 2.45 pm most Sundays (not Christmas week or Easter Sunday). The local Catholic Deanery celebrates an open air Mass once a year on the Sunday closest to the Solemnity of the Assumption; in 2025 it will be 3 pm on Sunday 17 August (with no 4 pm Mass at St Mary Magdalene that day).

Pilgrimages wishing to celebrate their own open air Mass on the grass alongside the statue, or in the amphitheatre, are free to do so; we do encourage groups to let the Parish Priest know in order to avoid a clash of pilgrimages on the same date!

Penrhys Websites

half-profile image in monochrome of the Virgin Mary holding the child Jesus
Wooden statue of the Virgin Mary holding the child Jesus