St Davids Cathedral is built upon site of Saint David’s sixth century monastery. Saint David was born in 500 AD and lived a long life, dying on the 1st of March 589. The building of the current Cathedral was begun in the 1180’s. It was rebuilt and expanded upon many times in the intervening centuries until the modern day.
The site has been visited by many persons of note throughout the centuries. Including William the Conqueror, Henry II and Queen Elizabeth II.
The existence of the Cathedral in St Davids meant that, due to the custom of the time, in the 1540’s the town was given city status. This status was later confirmed when Queen Elizabeth II conferred official city status to the town in 1995.
St Davids Cathedral was the home of Saint David’s shrine from the 1100’s with the sitting Pope declaring it a place of pilgrimage. The shrine was destroyed during the reformation of the church and only restored recently in 2012.
The Cathedral is open daily to visitors and while services are held regularly, the public are welcome. There are on site facilities including a cafe, shop and toilet facilities. Galwad y Mor apartments are the perfect place to stay if you are planning to visit St David’s Cathedral.
