A VERY important landmark in Pembrokeshire is St David’s Cathedral. It is the focal point of the UK’s smallest city of St Davids and a place people regularly visit to take in the beautiful architecture.
Here we take a look back at the history of the cathedral.
The present cathedral was built in 1181 by Peter de Leia, a Norman bishop. It is named after the famed Welsh saint, Saint David, as is the city it resides in. According to author Gerald of Wales, it was home to a number of jackdaws.
Over the following two centuries, the central tower collapsed twice and was later strengthened in the 14th century when Bishop Henry Gower – who was a rare sight as a Welsh bishop during the Norman times after he became bishop of St David’s in 1328 - carried out some major works on the cathedral.
During his works, he repaired and extended the central tower and also worked on the nave, the choir and the major stone screen – which is a Gothic carved screen in the nave that now houses his tomb effigy.
Many changes were made during the 16th century when the protestant bishop William Barlow was appointed. He removed the shrine of St David and removed all the cathedral’s relics and treasures, with many being destroyed or dispersed to other areas. This included the monastic library’s contents. Today only a few pieces remain but are in collections across the world according to stdavidscathedral.org.uk.
Despite removing many of the important relics in the cathedral, the bishop did carry out some work that we still marvel over today. He oversaw the installation of the nave’s timber ceiling, which is made of oak panels with 22 hanging ornate carved pendants. There are also pendants on the sides and corners of the roof.
The cathedral suffered in the 17th century when it was stripped of its lead by commonwealth troops to help in the Civil War. The troops also damaged the stained glass windows, broke the tower to steal the bells and damaged the organ beyond repair.
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The eastern part of the cathedral was left to ruin due to it being left without a roof following the Civil War. There were restorations done in the 18th century, when John Nash was appointed in the 1790s to rebuild the west front as it was pulling away from the rest of the cathedral. His work was unsuccessful due to attaching the wall to the walls of the nave, which was sloping under pressure from the leaning cathedral tower. The most extensive regeneration work was done in the 19th century.
A survey was carried out in 1861 by architect George Gilbert Scott. He was acting on the orders of Bishop Thirlwall and the survey was presented a year later. The survey found that the tower was again in need of repairs as it was cracked and water was seeping inside from the River Alun.
Mr Scott carried out most of the work himself, using his experience as a renowned church architect. He was responsible for St Mary’s Cathedral in Glasgow among a number of other well-known buildings across the UK.
He braced the tower with tie rods and moved the tower’s internal roof upwards. The restoration was funded by members of the public.
There is a memorial in the cathedral to Edmund Tudor, father of Pembroke-born and first Tudor king, Henry VII. It was moved to the cathedral from the monastery in Carmarthen after Edmund’s grandson Henry VIII abolished the monasteries.
The shrine to St David returned to the cathedral and there are a number of tombs and sacred bones housed there including the tomb of Lord Rhys and Gerald of Wales.
Today, the cathedral regularly hosts performances alongside worships and is a popular visitor attraction for locals and those further afield.
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