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Our history. The site of St Davids Cathedral has been an active place of worship since the sixth century. Explore the history of St David, or Dewi Sant, the community he founded here and the role he continues to play in Wales today.
- Who is St David?
St David, Dewi Sant, was a leading figure and monk in the...
- The History of the Cathedral
The Cathedral as it stands today was begun by Norman Bishop...
- Who is St David?
- The ‘Life’ of St David/Dewi Sant
- The ‘Real’ St David?
- The Legends of St David
- David and Boia
- The Example of St David
- David and Celtic Christianity
- The Cult of St David
- St David Today
The earliest known ‘life’ of St David was written by a monk called Rhygyfarch around 1080, five hundred years after David died. It was based on the oral traditions and memories of his sayings and the stories passed down, not always what we would consider ‘facts’. Later versions added more detail from other sources. According to these, his father wa...
We know very few hard facts about David, but as he lived 1500 years ago, in a land where people passed on their history by speaking it not writing it down, that is not very surprising! He was reputed to have been unusually tall for the time (about 6 feet), a powerful speaker and spoke as a bishop at the Synod of Brefi in c.545. From mentions in som...
The story of St David has been added to over the centuries with details from many sources, the weaving in of golden threads which have created the rich tapestry of stories we have today. Some preserve whispers and fragments of other stories which take us to the culture and history of an earlier Wales and to the earliest traces of Christianity in th...
One example is the story of David’s struggles with a pagan chieftain, Boia, when establishing his monastery in ‘the valley’. This story of conversion, magic, martyrdom and the defeat of pagan belief includes elements which probably do preserve traces of what the confrontation between the old and new faiths was like. It also suggests this valley was...
The stories and legends all point to St David as an example to follow, a model of a Christian life. David’s monastic routine and that of his monks was one of great simplicity and self-denial. Their days were centred on prayer, work in the fields (pulling the plough themselves) and reading. They ate one meal a day of bread and herbs or vegetables, a...
Celtic Christianity had a close relationship with the natural world, but it was sometimes a harsh one. David was a ‘waterman’ or ‘dyfrwr’, that is someone who drank only water (not the more common barley beer) and who would stand up to his neck in the sea reciting the psalms as a penance. However, many stories also tell of David’s kindness and his ...
The cult of St David, where people were drawn to him and his miracles during his lifetime, grew in strength and spread after his death. Many sites in the landscape, such as healing wells, were believed to have sprung up where he performed miracles and churches were dedicated to him across Wales and elsewhere. The area around the peninsula became kn...
The restored shrine of St David here in the cathedral is used as a focus for prayer and reflection by many people. St David has become a symbol for Wales, a figure to which Welsh people all over the world can turn. His feast day is a national and international celebration of Welsh culture and identity, but he is especially associated with this plac...
The Cathedral as it stands today was begun by Norman Bishop Peter de Leia in 1181, and, adds twelfth-century author Gerald of Wales, was home to some friendly jackdaws. The central tower collapsed twice over the next century.
The cathedral began to have life again and the famous Welsh Youth Pilgrimages to St Davids (Cymry'r Groes) led many to a life of service in the church and provided the Church in Wales with inspired clergy for a decade following.
Getty Images. How accurate is this image of St David? Every year on 1 March, Wales celebrates St David's Day - but how much do we actually know about the country's patron saint? Events...
Aug 28, 2022 · 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.
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Apr 15, 2021 · Saint David found a monastery on the grounds where the cathedral stands now, along with other monasteries in Britain. It is believed that he fought for an independent Welsh church, although he wasn’t exactly a rogue monk, on the contrary, he was elected a primate of the region and later (supposedly) – an archbishop.
