THE first woman Archbishop of Wales, Bishop of Monmouth the Most Reverend Cherry Vann, was enthroned at St Woolos Cathedral in Newport on Saturday.

The enthronement followed the Archbishop’s election by the Electoral College of the Church in Wales in July.

Originally from Leicestershire, Cherry Vann was ordained as a deacon in 1989, and was then among the first women to be ordained as a priest in the Church of England in 1994.

After serving in various roles in the Diocese of Manchester, including as chaplain to the deaf community, she then served as Archdeacon of Rochdale for 11 years before being consecrated as  Bishop of Monmouth in 2020, which she continues as.

At the ceremony in St Woolos Cathedral, Archbishop Cherry was enthroned in the Archepiscopal Chair in front of the High Altar.

The Chair will remain at Newport Cathedral throughout her time as Archbishop.

The oaths of office were taken using the Monmouth Archbishops’ Bible used at the enthronement of all previous Bishops of Monmouth who have become Archbishop of Wales – Edwin Morris (1957-67), Derek Childs (1983-86), Rowan Williams (2000-02) who went on to serve as Archbishop of Canterbury for 10 years, and now Archbishop Cherry.

Music for the service was led by the director of music, Tom Coxhead, and the cathedral choir and featured the Welsh-language Kyrie composed by Paul Mealor, which was sung at the Coronation of King Charles in 2023.

It was sung by the young Welsh bass-baritone Owain Wyn Rowlands, while former Royal Harpist, Alis Huws, who also played at the Coronation, also took part.

The Bishop of St Asaph, the Rt Revd Gregory Cameron, said: “I am hugely pleased to welcome Cherry as the 15th Archbishop of Wales.

“In her time as Bishop of Monmouth, she brought healing at a time of need, and a vision of the Church as a renewed community under Christ that can now be translated and enlarged for the whole of the Church in Wales.”