We continue to research the history of St John’s and know that originally it was the only place of worship in our village of Tonyrefail (or Ton yr Efail ) going all the way back to the 11th century. 1092 to be exact.
At roughly the same time in Jerusalem a hospital was being built by a group of Monks to care for the many pilgrims who had become ill on their travels to the holy land. The men and women who worked there created a new religious order known as the Hospitallers since they cared for everyone, without distinction of race or faith.
After the Crusaders captured Jerusalem the Hospitallers took on a military role and became the Knights of the Order of St John of Jerusalem. During the next 700 years the Knights moved throughout the region finally ending up in Malta until the island was surrendered to Napoleon in 1798. Today it still has headquarters in Rome and focuses on Charity work.
The history of the Order of St John’s is rich and leads ultimately to the St John’s Ambulance charity. Here at the Friends of St John community, we are continuing to research the history of our unique ex-Church and graveyard. We don’t think that originally it was called St John’s and understand that it was built by one of the large families in the area. At the time the area was fully Welsh speaking so a church called St John’s doesn’t make sense.
