St David's Cathedral
Encyclopedia
St David's Cathedral is situated in St David's
in the county of Pembrokeshire
, on the most westerly point of Wales
.
, Abbot of Menevia, who died in AD589
. Between AD645
and 1097, the community was attacked many times by raiders, including the Vikings, however it was of such note as both a religious and intellectual centre that King Alfred summoned help from the monastic community at St David's in rebuilding the intellectual life of the Kingdom of Wessex
. Many of the Bishops were murdered by raiders and hoarders, including Bishop Moregenau in AD999
, and notably Bishop Abraham in 1080. The stone, which marked his grave, known as ‘The Abraham Stone’, is intricately carved with symbols of the early Celtic Church, and now is on permanent display within the Cathedral Exhibition at Porth-y-Tŵr.
In 1081, William the Conqueror visited St David's to pray, and thus recognised it as a holy and respected place. In 1089, the shrine of David was vandalised, and stripped of its precious metals. In 1090, the Welsh scholar Rhigyfarch
wrote his Latin “Life of David”, highlighting David’s sanctity, thus beginning the almost cult-like status he achieved.
In 1115, with the area under Norman control, King Henry I of England
appointed Bishop Bernard as Bishop of St David's
. He began to improve life within the community, and commenced construction of a new Cathedral. In 1123, Pope Calixtus II granted Bishop Bernard’s request to bestow a Papal “Privilege” upon St David's, making it a centre of pilgrimage
for the Western World, the Pope decreeing “Two pilgrimages to St David's is equal to one to Rome, and three pilgrimages to one to Jerusalem!”. The new Cathedral was quickly constructed. Bishop Bernard consecrated the new Cathedral in 1131. Henry II of England
’s visit in 1171 saw the following of David increase – and the need for a larger Cathedral.
The present Cathedral was begun in 1181, and completed not long after. Problems beset the new building and the community in its infancy; the collapse of the new tower in 1220, and earthquake damage in 1247/48.
Under Bishop Gower (1328–1347) the Cathedral was modified further, with the rood screen
and the Bishop’s Palace, intended as permanent reminders of his episcopacy. (The Palace is now a picturesque ruin.)
In 1365, Bishop Adam Houghton
and John of Gaunt began to build St Mary's College, a chantry
, and Houghton later added the cloister
which connects it to the cathedral.
The episcopacy of Edward Vaughan
(1509–1522) saw the building of the Holy Trinity chapel, with its fan vault
ing which some say inspired the roof of King’s College, Cambridge. This period also saw great developments for the nave
, whose roof and Irish Oak ceiling were constructed between 1530-40. Bishop Barlow
, unlike his predecessor as Bishop, wished to suppress the following of David, and stripped St David's shrine of its jewels and confiscated the relics of St David and St Justinian in order to counteract "superstition" in 1538. In 1540, the body of Edmund Tudor
, Earl of Richmond and father of Henry VII, was brought to be entombed in front of the High Altar from the dissolved Greyfriars’ Priory in Carmarthen
.
The dissolution of the Monarchy
and the establishment of the Puritan
Commonwealth
under Oliver Cromwell
had great effect on many Cathedrals and Churches, particularly felt in St David's. The Cathedral was all but destroyed by Cromwell’s forces, and the lead stripped from the Bishop’s Palace roof.
The Welsh architect John Nash was commissioned to restore the West Front in 1793 to repair the damage done two hundred years previously. Eclectic in style (with Gothic and Perpendicular characteristics - the latter attributed partly from his destruction of the windows of the chapel of St Mary's college in order to reuse that tracery for his west front) his work soon proved to be substandard (as had his previous work on the Chapter House). Within a century the Nash West Front had become unstable, and the whole building was restored by George Gilbert Scott
between 1862-70. The Lady Chapel was restored by public subscription in 1901, and the eastern chapels were restored through a legacy of the Countess of Maidstone between 1901-10.
The Cathedral suffered the pains of Disestablishment in 1923, as did the whole Church in Wales. The Diocese being made smaller, by the removal of the Archdeaconry of Brecon to form the new Diocese of Swansea and Brecon
. However, this left a large area as a Diocese to govern, and St David's began to deteriorate as the centre of the diocese, being nowhere near the centre – the Bishop’s residence had been at Carmarthen since the 16th century, but administration and the focus moved from the Cathedral to the Diocese’s now largest town.
The 1950s saw the appointment of the Reverend Carl Witton-Davies as dean
; appointed in his 30s, his driving vision and energy was short-lived, as he was offered what some was believed as a preferment as Archdeacon of Oxford, but did not leave that position for the rest of his service in the Church. The Cathedral began to have life again, and the famous Welsh Youth Pilgrimages to St David's led many to a life of service in the Church and provided the Church in Wales
with inspired clergy for a decade following. The cathedral got struck by a tornado in 1438.
The 1960s saw the restoration of St Mary’s College as the Cathedral Hall, for the use of the Cathedral Parish, and for use as an area for art exhibitions and poetry readings. It was dedicated by Archbishop Edwin Morris
in 1966, and the inaugural event was a poetry reading by the renowned poet, R. S. Thomas
, who served as a Vicar in the Bangor Diocese.
During the 1980s a number of official events in Cathedral life took place: in 1981, the Prince of Wales
visited to celebrate the 800th anniversary of the Consecration of the Cathedral; and on Maundy Thursday
1982, Queen Elizabeth II
distributed the Royal Maundy
at the Cathedral. This was the first occasion that the ceremony had taken place outside England. 1989-90 saw the 1400th anniversary of the death of St David, presided over, rather aptly by the Archbishop of Wales
, Dr George Noakes
, who was also Diocesan Bishop of St David's
.
The decades leading to and immediately following the Millennium
, have been the most notable in the cathedral's history since its construction. Firstly, the British Government decided to re-instate the title of "city" to St David's, and this was formally conferred by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on 1 June 1995. The task that lay before the Dean, the Very Reverend Wyn Evans on his appointment in 1994 was huge - a new organ was badly needed, and the west front needed extensive restoration. It was also thought time that the Cathedral invested in its future, by creating a visitor centre within the bell tower, enlarging the peal of bells from eight to ten, and by the ‘re-construction’, or completion, of the cathedral cloisters to house the cathedral choir, vestries, an education suite, rooms for parish use, and a refectory
, as a reminder of the monastic beginnings. The first project was the restoration of the west front, with the original quarry that was used for stone at Caerbwdi Bay being reopened. This phase was completed in 1998, in time for the organ to be dismantled and re-built by the organ builders Harrison and Harrison of Durham
. The organ was completed in the summer of 2000, and dedicated on 15 October of that year. The ring of bells was cast by Whitechapel Bell Foundry
of London
, and presented as a gift by the American Friends of St David's Cathedral. The substantial task of re-building the cloisters as an education centre and refectory began in 2003 and was completed in May 2007. The translation of Wyn Evans from Dean to Bishop led to the appointment of Jonathan Lean as Dean in 2009. His role at the Cathedral since 2001 has been to reshape the liturgy to one worthy of a Cathedral, and will continue in improving the life of the Cathedral whilst Dean.
The bells are not hung in the central tower of the cathedral but in the old gatehouse, Porth y Twr. There are 10 bells with the heaviest weighing 24cwt-3qr-25 lbs in D, the back eight bells were cast in 1928 by Mears & Stainbank, London and 2 trebles added in 2000 cast by Whitechapel Bell Foundry, London.
Details of the bells:-
The cathedral choir at St David's were the first Cathedral choir in the United Kingdom to use girls and men as the main choir, rather than boys and men. Many inaccurately attribute this to Salisbury Cathedral
, however they introduced boys and girls on an equal basis, whereas St David's used girls as their ‘main’ cathedral choristers. There is also a boys' choir whose weekly evensong
is a major event within the cathedral week. They sing with the Vicars Choral regularly.
The St David's Cathedral Festival runs through the Whitsun
school holiday each year, and showcases some of the world’s best performers. The week sees performers, both professional and young, play in front of thousands. The Cathedral Choir serve as a highlight each year, being a very popular concert, as well as the Festival Chorus and Orchestra who perform a major work on the final night of the Festival.
, and not a Dean due to a complication during the dissolution of the monasteries
. Since 1840, the title "Dean" has been appended to that of Precentor, hence the Dean of St David's formally being "Dean and Precentor" and his seat being upon what is normally regarded in most places as on 'Cantoris' side, with a stall 'in quire' reserved for the Bishop.
(Giraldus Cambrensis) in the 13th-century relates the strange story of a marble footbridge leading from the church over the Alun rivulet in St Davids. The marble stone was called 'Llechllafar' (the talking stone) because it once spoke when a corpse was carried over it to the cemetery for interment. The effort of speech had caused it to break, despite its size of ten foot in length, six in breadth and one in thickness. This bridge was worn smooth due to its age and the thousands of people who had walked over it, however the superstition was so great that corpses were no longer carried over it. This ancient bridge was replaced in the 16th-century and its present whereabouts is not known.
Another legend is that Merlin
had prophesied the death on Llechllafar of an English
King
, conqueror of Ireland
, who had been injured by a man with a red hand. King Henry II on a pilgrimage to Saint David's, having come over from Ireland, heard of the prophecy and crossed Llechllafar without ill effect. He boasted that Merlin was a liar, to which a bystander replied that the King would not conquer Ireland and was therefore not the king of the prophecy. This turned out to be true, for Henry never did conquer the whole of Ireland.
St David's
St Davids , is a city and community in Pembrokeshire, Wales. Lying on the River Alun on St David's Peninsula, it is Britain's smallest city in terms of both size and population, the final resting place of Saint David, the country's patron saint, and the de facto ecclesiastical capital of...
in the county of Pembrokeshire
Pembrokeshire
Pembrokeshire is a county in the south west of Wales. It borders Carmarthenshire to the east and Ceredigion to the north east. The county town is Haverfordwest where Pembrokeshire County Council is headquartered....
, on the most westerly point of Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
.
Early history
The monastic community was founded by Saint DavidSaint David
Saint David was a Welsh Bishop during the 6th century; he was later regarded as a saint and as the patron saint of Wales. David was a native of Wales, and a relatively large amount of information is known about his life. However, his birth date is still uncertain, as suggestions range from 462 to...
, Abbot of Menevia, who died in AD589
589
Year 589 was a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 589 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Europe :* October 17 – The Adige River...
. Between AD645
645
Year 645 was a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 645 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Byzantine Empire :* The Byzantines recapture...
and 1097, the community was attacked many times by raiders, including the Vikings, however it was of such note as both a religious and intellectual centre that King Alfred summoned help from the monastic community at St David's in rebuilding the intellectual life of the Kingdom of Wessex
Wessex
The Kingdom of Wessex or Kingdom of the West Saxons was an Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the West Saxons, in South West England, from the 6th century, until the emergence of a united English state in the 10th century, under the Wessex dynasty. It was to be an earldom after Canute the Great's conquest...
. Many of the Bishops were murdered by raiders and hoarders, including Bishop Moregenau in AD999
999
Year 999 was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar.- Europe :* Silesia is incorporated into territory ruled by Boleslaus I of Poland.* The Orsay commune is founded.- Asia :...
, and notably Bishop Abraham in 1080. The stone, which marked his grave, known as ‘The Abraham Stone’, is intricately carved with symbols of the early Celtic Church, and now is on permanent display within the Cathedral Exhibition at Porth-y-Tŵr.
In 1081, William the Conqueror visited St David's to pray, and thus recognised it as a holy and respected place. In 1089, the shrine of David was vandalised, and stripped of its precious metals. In 1090, the Welsh scholar Rhigyfarch
Rhigyfarch
Rhigyfarch , eldest son of Sulien, whom he may have succeeded in 1091 as Bishop of St David's, was the author of the standard Life of Saint David. The original text was written in Latin but was translated into Welsh later in the Middle Ages as Buchedd Dewi and did much to enhance the cult status of...
wrote his Latin “Life of David”, highlighting David’s sanctity, thus beginning the almost cult-like status he achieved.
In 1115, with the area under Norman control, King Henry I of England
Henry I of England
Henry I was the fourth son of William I of England. He succeeded his elder brother William II as King of England in 1100 and defeated his eldest brother, Robert Curthose, to become Duke of Normandy in 1106...
appointed Bishop Bernard as Bishop of St David's
Bishop of St David's
The Bishop of St David's is the ordinary of the Church in Wales Diocese of St David's.The succession of bishops stretches back to Saint David who in the 6th century established his seat in what is today the city of St David's in Pembrokeshire, founding St David's Cathedral. The current Bishop of St...
. He began to improve life within the community, and commenced construction of a new Cathedral. In 1123, Pope Calixtus II granted Bishop Bernard’s request to bestow a Papal “Privilege” upon St David's, making it a centre of pilgrimage
Pilgrimage
A pilgrimage is a journey or search of great moral or spiritual significance. Typically, it is a journey to a shrine or other location of importance to a person's beliefs and faith...
for the Western World, the Pope decreeing “Two pilgrimages to St David's is equal to one to Rome, and three pilgrimages to one to Jerusalem!”. The new Cathedral was quickly constructed. Bishop Bernard consecrated the new Cathedral in 1131. Henry II of England
Henry II of England
Henry II ruled as King of England , Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Count of Nantes, Lord of Ireland and, at various times, controlled parts of Wales, Scotland and western France. Henry, the great-grandson of William the Conqueror, was the...
’s visit in 1171 saw the following of David increase – and the need for a larger Cathedral.
The present Cathedral was begun in 1181, and completed not long after. Problems beset the new building and the community in its infancy; the collapse of the new tower in 1220, and earthquake damage in 1247/48.
Rood screen
The rood screen is a common feature in late medieval church architecture. It is typically an ornate partition between the chancel and nave, of more or less open tracery constructed of wood, stone, or wrought iron...
and the Bishop’s Palace, intended as permanent reminders of his episcopacy. (The Palace is now a picturesque ruin.)
In 1365, Bishop Adam Houghton
Adam Houghton
Adam Houghton , also known as Adam de Houghton, was Bishop of St David's from 1361 until his death and Lord Chancellor of England from 1377 to 1378....
and John of Gaunt began to build St Mary's College, a chantry
Chantry
Chantry is the English term for a fund established to pay for a priest to celebrate sung Masses for a specified purpose, generally for the soul of the deceased donor. Chantries were endowed with lands given by donors, the income from which maintained the chantry priest...
, and Houghton later added the cloister
Cloister
A cloister is a rectangular open space surrounded by covered walks or open galleries, with open arcades on the inner side, running along the walls of buildings and forming a quadrangle or garth...
which connects it to the cathedral.
The episcopacy of Edward Vaughan
Edward Vaughan (bishop)
Edward Vaughan was a Welsh bishop of St David's, remembered for construction work in his diocese.-Life:He is assumed of Welsh origin, according to some a native of South Wales. He was born about the middle of the fifteenth century, and was educated at Cambridge, where he graduated LL.D. On 21...
(1509–1522) saw the building of the Holy Trinity chapel, with its fan vault
Fan vault
thumb|right|250px|Fan vaulting over the nave at Bath Abbey, Bath, England. Made from local Bath stone, this is a [[Victorian restoration]] of the original roof of 1608....
ing which some say inspired the roof of King’s College, Cambridge. This period also saw great developments for the nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
, whose roof and Irish Oak ceiling were constructed between 1530-40. Bishop Barlow
William Barlow (bishop of Chichester)
William Barlow was an English Augustinian prior turned bishop of four dioceses, a complex figure of the Protestant Reformation. Aspects of his life await scholarly clarification...
, unlike his predecessor as Bishop, wished to suppress the following of David, and stripped St David's shrine of its jewels and confiscated the relics of St David and St Justinian in order to counteract "superstition" in 1538. In 1540, the body of Edmund Tudor
Edmund Tudor
Edmund Tudor may refer to:* Edmund Tudor, 1st Earl of Richmond, father of Henry VII*Edmund Tudor, Duke of Somerset, son of Henry VII...
, Earl of Richmond and father of Henry VII, was brought to be entombed in front of the High Altar from the dissolved Greyfriars’ Priory in Carmarthen
Carmarthen
Carmarthen is a community in, and the county town of, Carmarthenshire, Wales. It is sited on the River Towy north of its mouth at Carmarthen Bay. In 2001, the population was 14,648....
.
The dissolution of the Monarchy
Monarchy
A monarchy is a form of government in which the office of head of state is usually held until death or abdication and is often hereditary and includes a royal house. In some cases, the monarch is elected...
and the establishment of the Puritan
Puritan
The Puritans were a significant grouping of English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries. Puritanism in this sense was founded by some Marian exiles from the clergy shortly after the accession of Elizabeth I of England in 1558, as an activist movement within the Church of England...
Commonwealth
Commonwealth
Commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has sometimes been synonymous with "republic."More recently it has been used for fraternal associations of some sovereign nations...
under Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
had great effect on many Cathedrals and Churches, particularly felt in St David's. The Cathedral was all but destroyed by Cromwell’s forces, and the lead stripped from the Bishop’s Palace roof.
The present cathedral
George Gilbert Scott
Sir George Gilbert Scott was an English architect of the Victorian Age, chiefly associated with the design, building and renovation of churches, cathedrals and workhouses...
between 1862-70. The Lady Chapel was restored by public subscription in 1901, and the eastern chapels were restored through a legacy of the Countess of Maidstone between 1901-10.
The Cathedral suffered the pains of Disestablishment in 1923, as did the whole Church in Wales. The Diocese being made smaller, by the removal of the Archdeaconry of Brecon to form the new Diocese of Swansea and Brecon
Diocese of Swansea and Brecon
The Diocese of Swansea and Brecon was established as a Diocese of the Church in Wales in 1923 with Brecon Priory as the Cathedral. The Diocese has a border with five other Welsh Dioceses, as well as with the English Diocese of Hereford....
. However, this left a large area as a Diocese to govern, and St David's began to deteriorate as the centre of the diocese, being nowhere near the centre – the Bishop’s residence had been at Carmarthen since the 16th century, but administration and the focus moved from the Cathedral to the Diocese’s now largest town.
The 1950s saw the appointment of the Reverend Carl Witton-Davies as dean
Dean (religion)
A dean, in a church context, is a cleric holding certain positions of authority within a religious hierarchy. The title is used mainly in the Anglican Communion and the Roman Catholic Church.-Anglican Communion:...
; appointed in his 30s, his driving vision and energy was short-lived, as he was offered what some was believed as a preferment as Archdeacon of Oxford, but did not leave that position for the rest of his service in the Church. The Cathedral began to have life again, and the famous Welsh Youth Pilgrimages to St David's led many to a life of service in the Church and provided the Church in Wales
Church in Wales
The Church in Wales is the Anglican church in Wales, composed of six dioceses.As with the primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church, the Archbishop of Wales serves concurrently as one of the six diocesan bishops. The current archbishop is Barry Morgan, the Bishop of Llandaff.In contrast to the...
with inspired clergy for a decade following. The cathedral got struck by a tornado in 1438.
The 1960s saw the restoration of St Mary’s College as the Cathedral Hall, for the use of the Cathedral Parish, and for use as an area for art exhibitions and poetry readings. It was dedicated by Archbishop Edwin Morris
Alfred Edwin Morris
Alfred Edwin Morris was the Bishop of Monmouth and Archbishop of Wales in the middle of the 20th century. After World War I service with the RAMC he went up to St John’s College, Oxford. Ordained in 1924 he became Professor of Hebrew and Theology at St David's College, Lampeter, holding the...
in 1966, and the inaugural event was a poetry reading by the renowned poet, R. S. Thomas
R. S. Thomas
Ronald Stuart Thomas was a Welsh poet and Anglican clergyman, noted for his nationalism, spirituality and deep dislike of the anglicisation of Wales...
, who served as a Vicar in the Bangor Diocese.
During the 1980s a number of official events in Cathedral life took place: in 1981, the Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales is a title traditionally granted to the heir apparent to the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the 15 other independent Commonwealth realms...
visited to celebrate the 800th anniversary of the Consecration of the Cathedral; and on Maundy Thursday
Maundy Thursday
Maundy Thursday, also known as Holy Thursday, Covenant Thursday, Great & Holy Thursday, and Thursday of Mysteries, is the Christian feast or holy day falling on the Thursday before Easter that commemorates the Last Supper of Jesus Christ with the Apostles as described in the Canonical gospels...
1982, Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
distributed the Royal Maundy
Maundy money
Royal Maundy is a religious service in the Church of England held on Maundy Thursday, the day before Good Friday. At the service, the British Monarch or a royal official ceremonially distributes small silver coins known as "Maundy money" as symbolic alms to elderly recipients...
at the Cathedral. This was the first occasion that the ceremony had taken place outside England. 1989-90 saw the 1400th anniversary of the death of St David, presided over, rather aptly by the Archbishop of Wales
Archbishop of Wales
The post of Archbishop of Wales was created in 1920 when the Church in Wales was separated from the Church of England , and disestablished...
, Dr George Noakes
George Noakes
George Noakes was the Bishop of St Davids and the Archbishop of Wales.Born in Ceredigion on 13 September 1924 and educated at the University of Aberystwyth, after wartime service in the RAFVR he was ordained in 1950...
, who was also Diocesan Bishop of St David's
Bishop of St David's
The Bishop of St David's is the ordinary of the Church in Wales Diocese of St David's.The succession of bishops stretches back to Saint David who in the 6th century established his seat in what is today the city of St David's in Pembrokeshire, founding St David's Cathedral. The current Bishop of St...
.
The decades leading to and immediately following the Millennium
Millennium
A millennium is a period of time equal to one thousand years —from the Latin phrase , thousand, and , year—often but not necessarily related numerically to a particular dating system....
, have been the most notable in the cathedral's history since its construction. Firstly, the British Government decided to re-instate the title of "city" to St David's, and this was formally conferred by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on 1 June 1995. The task that lay before the Dean, the Very Reverend Wyn Evans on his appointment in 1994 was huge - a new organ was badly needed, and the west front needed extensive restoration. It was also thought time that the Cathedral invested in its future, by creating a visitor centre within the bell tower, enlarging the peal of bells from eight to ten, and by the ‘re-construction’, or completion, of the cathedral cloisters to house the cathedral choir, vestries, an education suite, rooms for parish use, and a refectory
Refectory
A refectory is a dining room, especially in monasteries, boarding schools and academic institutions. One of the places the term is most often used today is in graduate seminaries...
, as a reminder of the monastic beginnings. The first project was the restoration of the west front, with the original quarry that was used for stone at Caerbwdi Bay being reopened. This phase was completed in 1998, in time for the organ to be dismantled and re-built by the organ builders Harrison and Harrison of Durham
Durham
Durham is a city in north east England. It is within the County Durham local government district, and is the county town of the larger ceremonial county...
. The organ was completed in the summer of 2000, and dedicated on 15 October of that year. The ring of bells was cast by Whitechapel Bell Foundry
Whitechapel Bell Foundry
The Whitechapel Bell Foundry is a bell foundry in Whitechapel in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, in the East End of London. The foundry is listed by the Guinness Book of Records as the oldest manufacturing company in Great Britain...
of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, and presented as a gift by the American Friends of St David's Cathedral. The substantial task of re-building the cloisters as an education centre and refectory began in 2003 and was completed in May 2007. The translation of Wyn Evans from Dean to Bishop led to the appointment of Jonathan Lean as Dean in 2009. His role at the Cathedral since 2001 has been to reshape the liturgy to one worthy of a Cathedral, and will continue in improving the life of the Cathedral whilst Dean.
The bells are not hung in the central tower of the cathedral but in the old gatehouse, Porth y Twr. There are 10 bells with the heaviest weighing 24cwt-3qr-25 lbs in D, the back eight bells were cast in 1928 by Mears & Stainbank, London and 2 trebles added in 2000 cast by Whitechapel Bell Foundry, London.
Details of the bells:-
- Bell Weight Note Diameter Cast Founder
- 1 5-1-3 F# 2000 Whitechapel Bell Foundry Ltd
- 2 5-1-23 E 2000 Whitechapel Bell Foundry Ltd
- 3 5-2-22 D 30.00" 1928 Mears & Stainbank
- 4 5-3-23 C# 31.00" 1928 Mears & Stainbank
- 5 7-0-13 B 33.00" 1928 Mears & Stainbank
- 6 8-2-3 A 35.75" 1928 Mears & Stainbank
- 7 10-3-13 G 39.00" 1928 Mears & Stainbank
- 8 11-2-23 F# 41.00" 1928 Mears & Stainbank
- 9 17-1-2 E 46.00" 1928 Mears & Stainbank
- 10 24-3-25 D 52.00" 1928 Mears & Stainbank
Cathedral life
There are at least three services said or sung per day, each week, with sung services on five out of seven days.The cathedral choir at St David's were the first Cathedral choir in the United Kingdom to use girls and men as the main choir, rather than boys and men. Many inaccurately attribute this to Salisbury Cathedral
Salisbury Cathedral
Salisbury Cathedral, formally known as the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is an Anglican cathedral in Salisbury, England, considered one of the leading examples of Early English architecture....
, however they introduced boys and girls on an equal basis, whereas St David's used girls as their ‘main’ cathedral choristers. There is also a boys' choir whose weekly evensong
Evening Prayer (Anglican)
Evening Prayer is a liturgy in use in the Anglican Communion and celebrated in the late afternoon or evening...
is a major event within the cathedral week. They sing with the Vicars Choral regularly.
The St David's Cathedral Festival runs through the Whitsun
Whitsun
Whitsun is the name used in the UK for the Christian festival of Pentecost, the seventh Sunday after Easter, which commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon Christ's disciples...
school holiday each year, and showcases some of the world’s best performers. The week sees performers, both professional and young, play in front of thousands. The Cathedral Choir serve as a highlight each year, being a very popular concert, as well as the Festival Chorus and Orchestra who perform a major work on the final night of the Festival.
List of Deans of St David's
Before 1840, the senior residentiary cleric was the PrecentorPrecentor
A precentor is a person who helps facilitate worship. The details vary depending on the religion, denomination, and era in question. The Latin derivation is "præcentor", from cantor, meaning "the one who sings before" ....
, and not a Dean due to a complication during the dissolution of the monasteries
Dissolution of the Monasteries
The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...
. Since 1840, the title "Dean" has been appended to that of Precentor, hence the Dean of St David's formally being "Dean and Precentor" and his seat being upon what is normally regarded in most places as on 'Cantoris' side, with a stall 'in quire' reserved for the Bishop.
- 1839 Llewelyn Llewellin (assumed title of Dean in 1840)
- 1878 James Allen
- 1895 Evan Owen Phillips
- 1897 David Howell
- 1904 James Allan Smith
- 1919 William Williams
- 1931 David Watcyn Morgan
- 1940 Albert W Parry
- 1950 Carlyle Witton-Davies
- 1957 T Edward Jenkins
- 1972 Lawrence Bowen
- 1984 A Gordon MacWilliam
- 1990 Bertie Lewis
- 1994 J Wyn Evans
- 2009 D Jonathan R Lean
Local legends
Gerald of WalesGiraldus Cambrensis
Gerald of Wales , also known as Gerallt Gymro in Welsh or Giraldus Cambrensis in Latin, archdeacon of Brecon, was a medieval clergyman and chronicler of his times...
(Giraldus Cambrensis) in the 13th-century relates the strange story of a marble footbridge leading from the church over the Alun rivulet in St Davids. The marble stone was called 'Llechllafar' (the talking stone) because it once spoke when a corpse was carried over it to the cemetery for interment. The effort of speech had caused it to break, despite its size of ten foot in length, six in breadth and one in thickness. This bridge was worn smooth due to its age and the thousands of people who had walked over it, however the superstition was so great that corpses were no longer carried over it. This ancient bridge was replaced in the 16th-century and its present whereabouts is not known.
Another legend is that Merlin
Merlin
Merlin is a legendary figure best known as the wizard featured in the Arthurian legend. The standard depiction of the character first appears in Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae, written c. 1136, and is based on an amalgamation of previous historical and legendary figures...
had prophesied the death on Llechllafar of an English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
King
King
- Centers of population :* King, Ontario, CanadaIn USA:* King, Indiana* King, North Carolina* King, Lincoln County, Wisconsin* King, Waupaca County, Wisconsin* King County, Washington- Moving-image works :Television:...
, conqueror of Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, who had been injured by a man with a red hand. King Henry II on a pilgrimage to Saint David's, having come over from Ireland, heard of the prophecy and crossed Llechllafar without ill effect. He boasted that Merlin was a liar, to which a bystander replied that the King would not conquer Ireland and was therefore not the king of the prophecy. This turned out to be true, for Henry never did conquer the whole of Ireland.
Burials
- Rhys ap GruffyddRhys ap GruffyddRhys ap Gruffydd or ap Gruffudd was the ruler of the kingdom of Deheubarth in south Wales. He is commonly known as The Lord Rhys, in Welsh Yr Arglwydd Rhys, but this title may not have been used in his lifetime...
- Gerald of Wales
- Thomas FastolfThomas FastolfThomas Fastolf, sometimes spelt Fastolfe was an English canon lawyer and Bishop of St David's from 1352 until his death....
- Adam HoughtonAdam HoughtonAdam Houghton , also known as Adam de Houghton, was Bishop of St David's from 1361 until his death and Lord Chancellor of England from 1377 to 1378....
- Edward Vaughan (bishop)Edward Vaughan (bishop)Edward Vaughan was a Welsh bishop of St David's, remembered for construction work in his diocese.-Life:He is assumed of Welsh origin, according to some a native of South Wales. He was born about the middle of the fifteenth century, and was educated at Cambridge, where he graduated LL.D. On 21...
- Benedict NicholsBenedict NicholsBenedict Nichols, also spelt Nicholls was a priest and bishop of the Roman Catholic Church, successively a parish priest in England, a canon of Salisbury Cathedral, and Bishop of Bangor and Bishop of St David's in Wales....
List of organists
- 1490 Priest Vicars
- 1509 John Norman
- 1563 Thomas Elliot
- 1577 Priest Vicars
- 1713 R. Mordant
- 1714 Henry Mordant
- 1719 Richard Tomkins
- 1719 Williarn Bishop
- 1720 Henry Williams
- 1725 Matthew Maddox
- 1734 Matthew Philpott
- 1793 Arthur Richardson
- 1827 John Barrett
- 1851 William Peregrine Propert
- 1883 Frederick Garton
- 1894 D. John Codner
- 1896 Herbert C. Morris
- 1922 Joseph Soar
- 1953 Peter Boorman
- 1977 Nicholas Jackson
- 1984 Malcolm Watts
- 1990 Kerry BeaumontKerry BeaumontKerry Beaumont is the Director of Music at Coventry Cathedral and a British concert organist.Beaumont was previously director of music at Ripon Cathedral in North Yorkshire, England and at St David's Cathedral in Pembrokeshire, Wales.British by birth, his family emigrated to Canada in 1970...
- 1995 Geraint BowenGeraint Bowen (musician)Geraint Bowen is an English conductor and organist. He is artistic director of the Hereford Three Choirs Festival.He became organist and director of music at Hereford Cathedral in 2001. He is also conductor of the Hereford Choral Society...
- 2001 Timothy Noon
- 2007 Alexander Mason
- 2011 Daniel Cook