History

There has been a place of worship on the site where the present church stands since the 6th century when St Tyfodwg, following the tradition of his time of spreading the Gospel, walked from the monastery at Llantwit Major, and established his cell in the ideal spot by the river. The Christian group grew, as did the area for comercial purposes. After St Tyfodwg's death, the monastery maintained the church community through the church at Llantrisant. It was in Norman times that the title of St John the Baptist was first used.

There have been several churches on the site, but it was not until 1865 that there was a Vicar of the parish as the church had been looked after by a succession of curates from Llantrisant.

The parish of Ystradyfodwg extended at this time from Rhigos in the north to Ffrwd Amos brook, Dinas, in the South West and to the confluence of the two rivers in Porth in the South East. It included the small valleys of Cwmparc and Clydach and reached as far as Gilfach Goch in the West. There were only two churches, the one on the site of our present church and the Church of St Mary the Virgin in Treherbert.

Times changed, there were more churches built and parish boundaries changed. The parish shrank, but had three churches, St, John the Baptist, St. David's in Ton Pentre (opened in 1881) and St Mark's in Gelli (opened in 1906). Unfortunately, times changed again, and the combination of the cost of maintaining the buildings and falling revenue from dwindling congregations meant that the parish could no longer afford to maintain the three churches. St David's closed in 1986 and later, in 1987 St. Mark's was closed and a new church was built on the site of St John's. In 1987 the present church was consecrated, and furnished with items from the other three churches.

The lectern and one of the stained glass windows from St Mark's, the pews and other stained glass windows from St. David's and the bell which can be seen beneath the memorial book from St. John's.