![]() One of the most striking features of the interior is not the drunken pillars, but the lovely colour of the nave, built of beautiful rose-coloured sandstone. The Norman architects had trouble with the swampy ground, and even today you can see the nave pillars leaning at an alarming degree both outwards and at an angle. The current tower is 14th century at the lowest stage, but was raised to its current height in the early 15th century. He also began a tower, but that fell down in the 13th century, damaging the choir and transepts. The third Norman bishop was Peter de Leia, who began rebuilding the nave and west end of the church around 1180. When south Wales fell under the control of the Normans in the 11th and 12th centuries the new Norman bishops began a concerted program of rebuilding the earlier Welsh monastery. The cathedral we see today is thought to be the 4th to stand on the site of David's original monastery. Over the next 4 centuries the monastery was sacked by Norse raiders at least 10 times. One of those missionaries was St Patrick, who set off for Ireland from nearby Whitesands Bay. David's foundation became an important centre for training missionaries for work in Ireland. Here, on the top of the westernmost peninsula of mainland Wales, the Welsh saint Dewi, or David to give him his English name, established a monastery and served as Bishop of Menevia from the late 6th century until his death in AD 601. From the centre of St Davids the cathedral seems to appear from below ground, its tower poking up like the stalk of a flower poking its nose above the earth. After his death, St Davids bones were laid to rest in a wooden container behind the High Altar.The cathedral lies low on a terrace of land beneath the crest of a hill on which the surrounding city is built (it seems frankly absurd to call the lovely, picturesque village a city, but since this is a cathedral then technically St Davids is a city). Two pilgrimages to St David Cathedral were equal to one to Rome. By the 12th century, in the “Age of the Saints”, the cathedral became an important religious shrine. The cathedral was founded by St David in the 6th century. Later in life, David became one of the most influential Clergymen in Wales and the patron saint of Wales. A tiny ancient chapel marks the spot where he was born. It took my breath away and I took my time to admire the scene.ĭavid was born on a clifftop in Southwest Wales during a fierce storm. The River Alun ran along the valley like a dark ribbon winding between the buildings. The stone cathedral and ruined Priory spread along the valley below. I walked underneath the archway and was rewarded with stunning views. At the far end of the courtyard stood a magnificent 13th-century tower gate. Austin and I turned down a narrow lane and entered a broad courtyard lined by pretty stone cottages. ![]()
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March 2023
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