St Benedict, Swansea

Introduction

St Benedict in Swansea was constructed in 1961 to designs by architect Thomas Price ARIBA of FR Bates, Son & Price.

History

After WWI, a group of Catholics in Sketty acquired land and constructed a hall and presbytery in 1927-8. The hall was initially served by Benedictines from St David's Priory before becoming the centre of the new parish of Sketty in 1936. Construction of a new church was delayed by WWII and it wasn't until 1961 that a permanent church was built. The church was listed for its special architectural interest as a well preserved modernist church reflecting the progressive thinking of the Liturgical Movement in the post war years. An RCIA group supports adults seeking to become Catholic.

Architecture and furnishings

The church was built using a concrete portal frame, a type of construction developed during WWII. The church's appearance echoes Le Corbusier's Notre Dame du Haut in Ronchamp, France (1955), with sweeping rooflines and small punched window openings. The church's internal arrangement bringing the nave and altar closer together was influenced by the Liturgical Movement, formalised at the Second Vatican Council (1962-5). A photograph in the Diocese of Cardiff Yearbook of 1963 shows a large illuminated cross on the N face of the campanile and a wrought iron figure of the Holy Trinity on the W wall, both since removed.

A large painted crucifix with Our Lady and St John is on the E wall. The church is in Modernist style with an E-W longitudinal plan, portal frame, clad and rendered, and concrete tile roof. The W wall is part glazed with rectilinear glazing and heavy concrete framing, and a curved blind right-hand part. A semi-circular flat roofed entrance canopy is attached at ground floor, infilled under the right with an ambulatory lit by slit windows.

A triangular concrete campanile, open on its S side, rises above from the SW corner of the church. The slit windows and flat roof of the ambulatory continue along the S wall, which contains a side chapel, confessionals and a sacristy. The E end is semi-circular and sweeps up to a point to meet the ridge, with full height slit windows on either side and reeded render in the centre panels. The N elevation facing Sketty Road is facetted below eaves line and divided into 3 bays each with a grid of alternating small square window openings and raised panels.

The interior is entered at the W end via a curved ambulatory with pierced full height external wall, with the baptistry on the inside. The curving partition wall to the baptistry has full height splits, allowing sight of the font when entering the church. There is a chapel under the organ gallery at the W end, concrete fronted with floating steps with wrought iron gate, handrail and balusters. The sanctuary is wider than the nave, lit from tall slit windows at either side and raised by a single step.

The church has terracotta Stations of the Cross by David John and pendant light fittings also probably by John. The sanctuary has altar rails of Mona marble, a forward altar, inset tabernacle behind, stone ambo and tapering font also of Mona marble.

The parish has a Guild of St Stephen group. The church has stained glass windows.