| Ddisgrifiad / Description | St Michael's was built in 1915 and is remarkable for having a set of depictions of the 12 Stations of the Cross outdoors rather than indoors. The project was conceived by Giuseppe Rinvolucri, an Italian engineer who lived close by at Bryn (the other side of the Upper Gate). He designed several church in Wales and England, notably the one shaped like an upturned boat in Amlwch. The scenes of the Easter story are portrayed in 13 reliefs and the Calvary, the free-standing sculpture depicting Christ on the cross. Most of the reliefs are set into the medieval town walls (western side). The final one is on the gable wall of the church, facing the others. The Calvary is carefully positioned in front of one of the towers of the town walls. The Stations of the Cross and the Calvary were made from Carrera marble in Milan, Italy, especially for this site. They were unveiled to the public by Dr Francis Vaughan, the Bishop of Menevia, in 1932. A crowd of c.5,000 Roman Catholics had travelled to Conwy for the event from across North Wales, Lancashire and Cheshire. A plaque inside the church, with the date 1916, says Captain Lloyd Goring funded the sculptures. Around the back of the church is a small statue of the Virgin Mary. A grotto, enclosing a similar statue, was installed on this side of the church in 1931 but later removed when the church hall was built onto the side of the building. [colour] |