Penmachno Dechrau Canu Dechrau Canmol

-Subtitles

-Subtitles

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-Subtitles

-This week, I've come to one of

-the most beautiful parts of Wales.

-I'm in the Penmachno area.

-Welcome

-to Dechrau Canu Dechrau Canmol.

-# Soli Deo gloria

-# Soli Deo gloria

-# Soli Deo gloria #

-You'd never imagine

-when you reach Penmachno...

-..that you're so close to the A5.

-This used to be a quarrying area.

-There was a very famous

-woollen mill here too.

-That's no wonder, considering the

-number of sheep farms in the area.

-I'm told there's a link between

-Cantre'r Gwaelod and Penmachno.

-But I'm not sure.

-As we're in Penmachno...

-..we must visit the birthplace

-of Wales's most famous bishop...

-..to chat about Wil Ty Mawr

-with Wil Ty Mawr.

-There'll also be a performance

-from the tenor from Mid Wales...

-..Robert Lewis.

-The singing, led by Trystan Lewis,

-comes from Penmachno United Church.

-The first hymn is...

-.."Duw a Thad yr holl genhedloedd,

-o sancteiddier d'enw mawr."

-We couldn't come to Penmachno

-without visiting this place...

-..Ty Mawr Wybrnant...

-..the home of Bishop William Morgan.

-It's likely that the famous bishop

-was known as Wil Ty Mawr...

-..when he lived here.

-This man is also known

-as Wil Ty Mawr.

-He now looks after the building.

-Heaven on earth.

-Heaven on earth.

-

-It's wonderful.

-You must love living here.

-There's nowhere better.

-This is the original house.

-This is Ty Mawr Wybrnant.

-William Morgan was born here,

-on the ground floor.

-I'll show you what's here.

-It must be an honour...

-..to look after a house

-with such historic significance.

-Everything changed

-after William Morgan...

-..our Welsh identity,

-our Christianity.

-This house has been here

-for 500 years.

-We know it's been a hall house

-since 1520.

-In 1520, there wasn't an upstairs.

-It only had a ground floor.

-Where the window is,

-an extension was built in 1560...

-..so more people could stay here.

-It's an important house

-and it's been a busy one.

-Come in for a look.

-Mind your head.

-That's some fireplace.

-Is this the room

-William Morgan was born?

-William Morgan was born here

-in 1545, one of five children.

-Including the parents,

-there'd be seven here...

-..and whoever else was staying here.

-We're on what was a main road.

-There's a good chance there'd

-have been people staying here.

-Back then, the eldest son

-would look after the farm...

-..and the youngest sons

-would have to leave aged ten.

-He was taken in by Maurice Wynn

-of Gwydir Castle.

-He was educated at Gwydir

-for ten years.

-That demonstrates

-the wealth of this family.

-They aren't poor by any stretch.

-William Morgan was educated

-at Gwydir for ten years.

-Then he went

-to St John's College, Cambridge.

-He left there after six years with

-three degrees and nine languages.

-He used some of those languages

-to translate the Bible...

-..Hebrew for the Old Testament

-and Greek for the New Testament.

-It took nine years in all.

-By the time it was printed,

-it had taken ten and a half years.

-That was in 1588 and is why

-we opened this house in 1988.

-From the original 1,000,

-there are 20 left.

-Two of those are upstairs.

-Two of those are upstairs.

-

-Can we see them?

-Let's go up.

-This is the room of the Bibles.

-Both these Bibles date from 1588.

-From the 1,000

-originally printed in 1588...

-..there are 20 left,

-as far as we know.

-For years,

-we told people there were 19...

-..but this was discovered

-four years ago in Coleg Harlech.

-Things had gone belly-up in Harlech

-and the receivers were called in.

-They phoned us to say

-they had one of the originals.

-So we bought it four years ago.

-This is on loan

-from the National Library.

-Over there

-is Parry and Davies's 1620 version.

-But these are the ones

-that made the difference.

-What's the significance

-of this Bible?

-The most important thing about it...

-..is that lots of schoolchildren

-come here.

-Primary school children

-can come here and read this Bible.

-The Welsh in this Bible

-hasn't changed much since 1588.

-The way it was printed

-has changed...

-..with the Fs and Ss changing...

-..but apart from that,

-the Welsh is readable.

-It's the same Welsh

-that we're taught in to this day.

-Some people who come here

-think I've got my dates wrong.

-But this was printed in 1588...

-..and the King James,

-or the English-language Bible...

-..was printed in 1611.

-This was around before then.

-Wil, it's been a pleasure to

-meet you and to see these treasures.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

-

-You're welcome.

-We have a performance next.

-One of composer Cesar Franck's most

-beautiful pieces is Panis Angelicus.

-Over the years, it's been performed

-by tenors like Luciano Pavarotti...

-..Andrea Bocelli, Jose Carreras

-and Placido Domingo.

-Joining us now is the tenor

-from Mid Wales, Robert Lewis.

-# Bread of the angel throng

-# Granted to man to eat

-# Wonder prefigured long

-# Here made at last complete

-# Could greater marvel be

-# All on Christ's body feed

-# Poor men

-# Poor men

-# Servants of low degree

-# Poor men

-# Poor men

-# Servants of low degree

-# Bread of the angel throng

-# Granted to man to eat

-# Wonder prefigured long

-# Here made at last complete

-# Could greater marvel be!

-# All on Christ's body feed

-# Poor men

-# Poor men

-# Servants of low degree

-# Poor men

-# Poor men

-# Servants of low degree #

-I'm told there's a link...

-..between Penmachno

-and the story of Cantre'r Gwaelod.

-But it doesn't make much sense.

-Cantre'r Gwaelod was in Cardigan Bay

-and Penmachno is in Snowdonia.

-Reverend Stuart Elliott.

-Penmachno and Cantre'r Gwaelod.

-What's the link?

-It's a very good story.

-This is St Tudclud church.

-Tudclud was Seithenyn's son.

-His brothers

-included Tudno in Llandudno...

-..and Gwnadl in Llangwnadl

-on Lleyn.

-The brothers went to the monastery

-in Bangor-on-Dee...

-..and went out to share the faith

-in Wales in the fifth century.

-St Tudclud came here

-in Penmachno.

-From that story

-came St Tudclud church.

-This is a fairly new church,

-but it closed a few years ago.

-It's a sad story.

-There wasn't enough money

-or enough churchgoers, so it shut.

-But the church opened once more.

-People from the valley

-came together.

-They started meeting in the pub...

-..in Ty Mawr...

-..then they wanted the church

-to open again.

-From death to a new life,

-that's the story of Penmachno...

-..and the story of St Tudclud.

-The church is in the middle

-of the village. Let's go inside.

-My first impression

-is that it's an informal church.

-It is.

-It's what we want.

-There's a place to have a cuppa

-and a shop too.

-You can sit and relax here.

-There's a place to worship too.

-At the front is the original altar.

-What is also striking

-is the stained-glass window.

-Let's take a closer look.

-Stuart, tell me about this window.

-Stuart, tell me about this window.

-

-It's very interesting.

-The entire community

-played a part.

-The tree of life is the theme.

-People from the community and

-schoolchildren painted some of it.

-You can ask someone

-which part they did.

-They'll say, "I did this part."

-It's great to see over the altar

-during the service.

-Talking about the altar,

-this is very special.

-It is. It's brand new.

-A local man

-made it out of cherry wood.

-The wood

-comes from the trees in my garden.

-It's lovely.

-Like the church...

-..the wood is new life

-out of something that died.

-The tree of life

-is at the front here.

-Thank you for your company.

-It's been a pleasure coming here.

-I'm sure that many of you

-will be heartened...

-..by what's happened here

-in Penmachno.

-Watcyn Wyn wrote the next hymn.

-"Rwy'n gweld o bell y dydd yn dod...

-"..bydd pob cyfandir is y rhod

-yn eiddo Iesu mawr."

-"If we had but a glimpse

-of the world as a resting place...

-"..would we be caught

-in the sacred story?

-"Honoured as the whole of life

-becomes a day of preparation...

-"..we might just then become

-co-creators of the dawn...

-"..for a divine reimagining of

-the lost art and beauty of creation.

-"A life laid fallow, for a time,

-is not in vain.

-"To let go, to allow the

-natural restfulness to rise up...

-"..and with gentle ease,

-to participate; earthed once again."

-We've come to our final hymn.

-"O tyred, Ior tragwyddol,

-mae ynot ti dy hun...

-"..fwy moroedd o drugaredd

-nag a feddyliodd dyn."

-I hope you've enjoyed our visit

-to Penmachno...

-..and we'll have your company

-next week.

-Until then, goodbye from all of us.

-S4C Subtitles by Testun Cyf.

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