THE PENMYNYDD WINDOW

(click for a larger view)

The image that was formerly on the front page was a photograph I took in St. Gredifael's Church, near Penmynydd on the Isle of Anglesey, off the northwest coast of Wales. The area is the ancenstral lands of the Tudors and the great-great aunt and uncle of Henry VII are buried at the church.

The lettering around the window translates from the Welsh to "Unity is like a rose on a river bank, and like a House of Steel on the top of a mountain". The Welsh of "House of Steel" is Ty Dur, or Tudor.

The top part of the window are parts of the royal regalia of England, the middle is a cluster of Tudor roses and the bottom part is a portcullis, which was the symbol of the Beaufort family. The Beaufort portcullis was used a lot by the Tudors since Margaret Beaufort was the source of Henry VII's thin royal claim to the throne.

Update June, 2007 - Unbelievably, the Tudor window and a couple others were smashed and several items were stolen from the church.

Update (2) - A restored version of the window is now in the church, incorporating some pieces from the original.