St. Egryn gave his name to the Church of St Mary and St Egryn and it, in turn, gave its name to the village of Llanegryn.
Little is known about St Egryn. He probably lived as a monk in the seventh century A.D. and he was the patron saint of Llanegryn Church from the earliest times until the Cistercian monks of Cymer Abbey near Dolgellau renamed the church after St Mary the Virgin. The church was attached to Cymer Abbey for a considerable time but after the departure of the Cistercians the church readopted St Egryn into its name.
The age of the church is not really known. There was undoubtedly an early church on the site, possibly going back to the time of St Egryn or even earlier but the first record we have of the church is in 1253 and the architectural style of the present church suggests that it was built in the thirteenth century.
The Screen and Rood Loft are the best known features of the church. This ancient masterpiece by unknown craftsmen is reputed to have been brought from Cymer Abbey at the time of the dissolution of the monasteries by Henry VIII in 1536. This is likely to be romantic legend with the screen actually having been produced by local craftsmen sometime in the period between 1475 and 1530.
