St Collen's Parish Church

Our historic church is at the heart of the festival capital of Wales, Llangollen. 

The most striking feature of our building is the fifteenth century carved oak hammer beam roof which is believed to have links with the nearby Abbey of Valle Crucis. It is one of the glories of medieval welsh carpentry: what was achieved in Wales while Michelangelo was working in Rome. There are fascinating depictions of beasts, flora an fauna and even a short cyclical story of the man who drank too much beer!

The oldest part of the church is the 12th century choir vestry door which still has peepholes dating back to when those fleeing from the law would appear on the doorstep of the church and formally request sanctuary.

The legendary Ladies of Llangollen – Eleanor Butler and Sarah Ponsonby – famous for their romantic friendship, are buried in our churchyars and there is a memorial to them in the south aisle of the church.

Gruffudd Hiraethog was one of the foremost poets of the 16th century. He complied a welsh dictionary with quotations from the works of the bards to illustrate thier meanings. He was born in Llangollen and is buried in the vault along with the patron saint of the church and town, St Collen.