LENT 2026 at St Michael’s Church
Lenten Services of Compline and exhibition
Lenten Compline at Discoed
Our Lenten Services of Compline at Discoed will be held on Tuesday evenings at 7:00pm
Tuesday February 24th and March 3rd, 10th, 17th and 24th
Compline is a short, thoughtful evening service for the end of the day.
Everyone welcome
For these services and throughout Lent, a selection of artworks from previous Lenten exhibitions will be on display at St Michael’s Church. Participating artists: Sara Bamford, Julienne Braham, Charles MacCarthy, Daniel MacCarthy, Tania Mosse, Allison Neal, Silvia Pastore and Alex Ramsay.
St Michael's Church, Discoed
The modest 'Shepherd’s' church of St Michael in Discoed (Old English 'dic' and 'cot' a cottage by Offa’s Dyke), on the border between Powys and Herefordshire, acts as a both a spiritual and artistic hub to the community. This chapel of ease for St Andrew’s, Presteigne, is medieval, with 'admirably restrained' Victorian modifications. The circular site, the spectacular ancient yew tree, and the spring by the churchyard gate, suggest that the sanctity of this place has been respected for much longer. It remains a haven of rare tranquillity and natural beauty (with at least thirty-two species of wild flowers) set in unspoilt Welsh Marches border countryside.
The Friends of St Michael’s
St Michael’s Church is inseparable from the 5,000 year old yew tree that presides over this ancient circular site. The yew is largely self re-generating, but the church – the centre of our tiny community – is not.
The Friends of St Michael’s, under our late President Edward Storey and with Patrons, Professor David Bellamy, Dr Ronald Blythe and David Wheeler, was formed to raise the funds for the repair, renovation and development of our much loved church. As a daughter church of St Andrew’s, Presteigne, it was unrealistic to believe that the use of the church for services would justify the expense that would be needed to achieve these aims. A parallel commitment was therefore made to use the building for as wide a range of arts events as possible.
The essential repairs to the fabric of the church, (for the time-being!) are now complete, an efficient modern heating system has been installed, the paths have been relayed and the interior adapted to a much wider range of uses.
We are proud of the wide range of events that have been put on at St Michael’s over the last few years including concerts, literary events and art and ceramic exhibitions. The Friends have probably raised some £150,000 since their formation but more importantly they have created a strong and committed group of local enthusiasts backed up by a wider group of supporters across the country. While the Friends still need to raise funds for the long-term future of St Michael’s we are also ready to help other causes.
HOW TO FIND US
ST MICHAEL’S CHURCH, DISCOED, NEAR PRESTEIGNE, POWYS LD8 2NW
Leave Presteigne heading west on the B4356. After 1 mile take minor road (straight on) signposted Cascob. Continue for 1 mile. Church approach is up on left after Discoed sign.
EMAIL SIGN-UP
The Friends of St Michael's newsletter brings you news of events and exhibitions. We'll only send out the newsletter every couple of months and you can unsubscribe at any time. Subscribe to our list using the form below.