St Davids Cathedral

St Davids Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral of the Church in Wales and one of the oldest in Britain. It stands at the far western edge of Wales, in the smallest city in the country, on the site of a monastery founded in the 6th century by Wales's patron saint. The building is listed Grade I.

Why visit?

For centuries the cathedral has been a pilgrimage destination. Worshippers came to the shrine of St David and honoured his memory, and the site has been the heart of his cult from the beginning. Today it draws pilgrims, lovers of medieval architecture and walkers exploring the Pembrokeshire coast.

What is its history?

In the 10th and 11th centuries the monastery was raided by Vikings on a regular basis, a time of constant threat. The present cathedral traces back to a charter from Pope Callixtus II in 1123. Construction began in 1181 under the Norman bishop Peter de Leia. Work dragged on and was interrupted several times, which is why the building shows styles from different periods.

King Henry II visited St Davids in 1171. In the 14th century Bishop Henry de Gower, who held the see from 1328 to 1347, remodelled much of the church. He saw to the central tower, the nave and the choir, and built the great stone screen. The ornately carved Gothic screen shelters his tomb effigy. Gower also commissioned the Bishop's Palace, the bishops' residence until the Reformation, and strengthened the wall around the cathedral close.

The Reformation and the dissolution of the monasteries under Henry VIII in 1536 brought a major shock. The cathedral also suffered serious damage during the English Civil War, when Oliver Cromwell's troops were active in the area.

What else is nearby?

Beside the bell tower stands the Porth-y-Tŵr gateway, the only surviving gate of the old wall around the close. Just down in the valley lie the ruins of the Bishop's Palace commissioned by Gower. Together they form a coherent group of medieval church architecture, best explored without hurry.

Frequently asked questions

Is St Davids Cathedral still in use? Yes. It is a working Anglican cathedral of the Church in Wales. Services take place alongside visiting, so please respect them.

Who was St David? The patron saint of Wales. In the 6th century he founded the monastery around which the later city and cathedral grew. His shrine drew pilgrims for centuries.

Where is the cathedral? In the city of St Davids in Pembrokeshire, on the west coast of Wales, at roughly 51.88 N, 5.27 W.

Did the Vikings destroy the cathedral? The site was regularly raided by Vikings in the 10th and 11th centuries, but the present building dates from later, with construction beginning in 1181.

When was the current cathedral built? It rests on a 1123 charter from Pope Callixtus II, and building began in 1181. It took a long time and was interrupted several times.

What else is worth seeing nearby? The Porth-y-Tŵr gateway, the Bishop's Palace ruins and the cliffs and paths of the Pembrokeshire coast.