Rhydyfelin, Wales, October 26, 2026
Photo: Russian Orthodox Church Cardiff: Kazan Icon of the Mother of God
After sixteen years of worshipping in borrowed and rented spaces, the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God Parish in Cardiff, Wales, finally has a church of its own.
The parish completed the purchase of the former Rhydyfelin Methodist Church on Friday, according to a statement from the ROCOR Diocese of Great Britain and Western Europe.
The building will be converted into an Orthodox church, with other facilities for parish use. In the statement, the diocese says the work begins in earnest with the handover of the keys, and youth from across the deanery are already making plans to help with the construction. In its own statement, the parish says an “army of diocesan youth” is poised to raise the altar floor and build the iconostasis.
Photo: orthodox-europe.org
The purchase follows fifteen months of fundraising, during which the parish says it exceeded its £120,000 (about $160,000) target thanks to donors “in all corners of the world.” OrthoChristian reported on the fundraising effort in January.
The need for a permanent home had become more acute as the parish grew, the diocese says, especially in recent years, as mission has increased and interest in Orthodoxy in Wales has risen sharply. The Cardiff parish has become a hub of mission in Wales and parts of western England, and it organizes the services of missions in Llanelli, Warminster, and Cheltenham, as well as new missionary work in Bath.
Parish rector Hieromonk Mark (Underwood) expressed his deep joy and thankfulness to God and to the many supporters.
“The days of living out of cupboards and suitcases may continue in our missions, but in Cardiff, it will soon be a thing of the past!” the parish states.
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