The present Church (St Mary) dates from 1716, with a chancel added in 1864. The masonry is, unusually, of dressed slate with blocks overlapping at the corners, log-cabin style. The timber piers inside were brought over the mountains by ox-cart from Dinas Mawddwy. A carved stone effigy (ca1350) of Meurig ap Ynyr Fychan lies in the NE corner of the church. The first mention of the church and indeed of Dolkelew is from 1253. The Cistercian Cymer Abbey (founded 1198) two miles away, was the main religious centre and a major influence until its suppression in 1536.