St Davids Cathedral
Welsh cathedral built on Saint David's monastic foundation.
St Davids Cathedral (Eglwys Gadeiriol Tyddewi in Welsh) belongs to the Church in Wales and stands in St Davids, Britain’s smallest city, in Pembrokeshire, close to Wales’s most westerly point.
The site began as a monastic community founded by Saint David, Abbot of Menevia, who died in 589. Between 645 and 1097, Viking and other raiders attacked it many times, yet it remained an important religious centre. Several bishops were killed by raiders, including Bishop Abraham in 1080; the fate of Bishop Moregenau in 999 is uncertain, with some sources suggesting he may have died of natural causes. The carved stone marking Abraham’s grave, known as the “Abraham Stone,” displays early Celtic symbols and is now permanently exhibited in the Cathedral Exhibition at Porth-y-Tŵr.
William the Conqueror visited St Davids in 1081 to pray, acknowledging it as a holy place. In 1089, David’s shrine was vandalised and its precious metals stolen. The Welsh scholar Rhigyfarch wrote a Latin *Life of David* in 1090, emphasising David’s sanctity and sparking his near-cult following.
After the Normans took control, King Henry I appointed Bishop Bernard as Bishop of St Davids in 1115. Bernard improved life in the community, but the current cathedral building was begun later, in 1181 under Bishop Peter de Leia. In 1123, Pope Calixtus II granted Bernard’s request for a papal privilege, making St Davids a pilgrimage destination for the Western world; later tradition held that two pilgrimages to St Davids equalled one to Rome, though this specific formula is not definitively documented from that year. Bernard’s earlier cathedral was built quickly and consecrated in 1131.
Henry II’s visit in 1171 increased David’s following and created demand for a larger cathedral. Construction of the present building started in 1181 and finished soon after. Early problems included the collapse of the new tower in 1220 and earthquake damage in 1247/48.
Under Bishop Gower (1328–1347), the cathedral was altered further. He added the rood screen and built the Bishops Palace as lasting reminders of his time in office; the palace now stands as a picturesque ruin. In 1365, Bishop Adam Houghton and John of Gaunt began building St Mary’s College and a chantry, later adding the cloister that connects it to the cathedral.
Quick Facts
- Denomination
- Church in Wales
- Native Name
- Eglwys Gadeiriol Tyddewi
- Country
- Wales
- Location
- St Davids, Pembrokeshire
- Previous Denomination
- Roman Catholic
- Founded
- c. AD 589
- Founder
- St David
- Consecrated
- 1131
- Architect
- Medieval masons / John Nash (18th century) / George Gilbert Scott (19th century)
- Style
- Romanesque architecture, English Gothic architecture
- Groundbreaking
- 1181
- Completed
- Mid-13th century
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
A monastic community was founded by Saint David, Abbot of Menevia, who died in 589. Between 645 and 1097, the community was attacked many times by raiders, including the Vikings; however it was of such note as a religious centre that it remained important. Many of the bishops were murdered by raiders and marauders, including Bishop Abraham in 1080; the fate of Bishop Moregenau in 999 is uncertain, with some sources suggesting he may have died of natural causes. The stone that marked his grave, known as the 'Abraham Stone', is intricately carved with early Celtic symbols and is now on permanent display within the Cathedral Exhibition at Porth-y-Tŵr.
In 1081, William the Conqueror visited St Davids to pray, and thus recognise
Reader's Guide
St Davids Cathedral is significant as the seat of the Church in Wales in Britain's smallest city, tracing its origins to the 6th-century monastic community of Saint David. It became a major pilgrimage destination after Pope Calixtus II granted it a privilege in 1123, equating two pilgrimages to St Davids with one to Rome. The present cathedral was begun in 1181 and completed not long after, though it suffered a tower collapse in 1220 and earthquake damage in 1247/48. The cathedral was all but destroyed by Oliver Cromwell's forces during the Commonwealth, and the lead was stripped from the Bishops Palace roof. Restoration work was carried out by John Nash in 1793 and by George Gilbert Scott between 1862 and 1870. The 20th century saw the cathedral suffer from disestablishment in 1920 and the removal of the Archdeaconry of Brecon in 1923, but it regained vitality in the 1950s under Dean Carl Witton-Davies. In 1995, St Davids was formally reinstated as a city by Queen Elizabeth II. Major projects in the late 1990s and early 2000s included restoration of the west front, a new organ, enlargement of the bell peal to ten, and rebuilding of the cloisters as an education centre and refectory, completed in 2007. The restored Shrine of St David was unveiled and re-dedicated on St Davids Day 2012.
Did You Know?
- The cathedral floor has a pronounced slope, with a height difference of nearly four metres between the east and west ends.
- The bells are hung in the old gatehouse, Porth y Twr, not in the central tower.
- Queen Elizabeth II distributed the Royal Maundy at the cathedral on Maundy Thursday 1982, the first time the ceremony had taken place outside England.
- The Abraham Stone, marking the grave of Bishop Abraham (murdered in 1080), is intricately carved with early Celtic symbols and is on display in the Cathedral Exhibition.
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