View source for St Davids Cathedral

{{Short description|Cathedral in Pembrokeshire, Wales}}
{{Distinguish|St David's Cathedral, Cardiff|St David's Cathedral, Hobart}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox church
| denomination     = [[Church in Wales]]
| name             = Saint Davids Cathedral
| native_name      = Eglwys Gadeiriol Tyddewi
| native_name_lang = Welsh
| fullname         = 
| image            = St Davids Cathedral Sept2018.jpg
| landscape        = 
| imagesize        = 
| caption          = St Davids Cathedral (September 2018)
| imagelink        = 
| imagealt         = 
| pushpin map      = 
| pushpin label position = 
| pushpin map alt  = 
| pushpin mapsize  = 
| map caption      = 
| coordinates      = {{coord|51|52|55|N|5|16|06|W|region:GB-PEM_type:landmark|display=inline,title}}
| country          = [[Wales]]
| location         = [[St Davids, Pembrokeshire]]
| previous denomination = [[Roman Catholic]]
| churchmanship    = 
| membership       = 
| attendance       = 
| website          = {{Official URL}}
| former name      = 
| bull date        = 1123
| founded date     = {{circa|AD 589}}
| founder          = [[St David]]
| dedication       = 
| dedicated date   = 
| consecrated date = 1131
| cult             = 
| relics           = [[St David]]
| events           = 
| past bishop      = 
| people           = 
| status           = 
| functional status = 
| heritage designation = 
| designated date  = 
| architect        = Medieval masons<br /> [[John Nash (architect)|John Nash]] (18th century)<br /> [[George Gilbert Scott]] (19th century)
| architectural type = 
| style            = [[Romanesque architecture]], [[English Gothic architecture]]
| groundbreaking   = 1181
| completed date   = Mid-13th century
| construction cost = 
| closed date      = 
| demolished date  = 
| length           = {{convert|90|m}}
| width nave       = {{convert|22.5|m}}
| height           = {{convert|35|m}}
| diocese          = [[Diocese of St Davids|St Davids]]
| bishop           = [[Dorrien Davies]]
| abbot            = 
| vicar            = 
| provost-rector   = 
| provost          = 
| viceprovost      = 
| rector           = 
| dean             = [[Sarah Rowland Jones]]
| subdean          = Leigh Richardson
| precentor        = Leigh Richardson
| chancellor       = 
| canonchancellor  = Dewi Roberts
| canon            = 
| canonpastor      = Sheridan James
| canonmissioner   = 
| canontreasurer   = Sian Jones
| prebendary       = 
| priestincharge   = 
| asstpriest       = Gillian Butcher
| honpriest        = 
| curate           = 
| minister         = 
| assistant        = 
| seniorpastor     = 
| pastor           = 
| chaplain         = 
| archdeacon       = 
| deacon           = 
| reader           = 
| organistdom      = Simon Pearce
| director         = 
| organist         = Laurence John
| organscholar     = 
| chapterclerk     = Arwel Davies
| laychapter       = 
| warden           = 
| verger           = Chris Cooks
| businessmgr      = Judith Leigh
| deaconness       = 
}}

'''St Davids Cathedral''' ({{langx|cy|Eglwys Gadeiriol Tyddewi}}) is a Church in Wales cathedral situated in [[St Davids]], Britain's smallest city,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.visitwales.com/destinations/west-wales/pembrokeshire/5-fantastic-places-st-davids |title=Exploring Britain's smallest city |website=Visit Wales |first=Alf |last=Alderson}}</ref> in the county of [[Pembrokeshire]], near the most westerly point of [[Wales]].

==Early history==
[[Monastery of Saint David, Wales|A monastic community]] was founded by [[Saint David]], [[Abbot]] of Menevia, who died in 589. Between 645 and 1097, the community was attacked many times by raiders, including the [[Vikings]]; however it was of such note as both a religious and an intellectual centre that [[King Alfred]] summoned help from the monastic community at St Davids in rebuilding the intellectual life of the Kingdom of [[Wessex]]. Many of the bishops were murdered by raiders and marauders, including Bishop [[Moregenau]] in 999 and Bishop Abraham in 1080. The stone that marked his grave, known as the "Abraham Stone", is intricately carved with early [[Celtic art|Celtic symbols]] and is now on permanent display within the Cathedral Exhibition at [[Porth-y-Tŵr]].

In 1081, [[William the Conqueror]] [[William I's Welsh campaign of 1081|visited St Davids]] 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 [[House of Normandy|Norman]] control, King [[Henry I of England]] appointed Bishop [[Bernard as Bishop of St Davids]]. 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 Davids, making it a centre of [[pilgrimage]] for the Western world; the Pope decreed that "Two pilgrimages to St Davids is equal to one to Rome, and three pilgrimages to one to Jerusalem".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stdavidscathedral.org.uk/index.php?id=931|title=A Brief History|website=St Davids Cathedral}}</ref> The new cathedral was quickly constructed and Bishop Bernard consecrated it 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.

[[File:Bishops-palace.jpg|thumb|right|Bishops Palace as it appears today]]
Under [[Henry de Gower|Bishop Gower]] (1328–1347) the cathedral was modified further, with the [[rood screen]] and the [[St Davids Bishops Palace|Bishops 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 and a [[chantry]]. He later added the [[cloister]], which connects it to the cathedral.<ref>{{cite ODNB|first=Glanmor |last=Williams|title=Houghton, Adam (died 1389)|id=13863|date=24 May 2008}}</ref>

The episcopacy of [[Edward Vaughan (bishop)|Edward Vaughan]] (1509–1522) saw the building of the Holy Trinity chapel, with its [[fan vault]]ing which some{{who|date= December 2014}} 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 and 1540. [[William Barlow (bishop of Chichester)|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, 1st Earl of Richmond|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 establishment of the [[Commonwealth of England]] under [[Oliver Cromwell]] greatly affected many cathedrals and churches, and was particularly felt in St Davids. The cathedral was all but destroyed by Cromwell's forces and the lead was stripped from the Bishops Palace roof.

==Present cathedral==
[[File:StDavidsCathedral Tower&SouthTransept.JPG|thumb|Tower and south [[transept]]]]
[[File:StDavids-wyrdlight-2N16.jpg|thumb|West end, [[nave]] south transept and tower flying the dean's flag]]
[[File:St Davids from Cloisters Pembrokeshire.JPG|thumb|St Davids from renovated cloisters]]
There is a pronounced slope to the floor of the cathedral, amounting to a height difference of nearly four metres between the east and west ends, and the building is still shifting minutely.<ref>{{cite web|website=St Davids Cathedral |title=About us|url=https://www.stdavidscathedral.org.uk/about-us|access-date=19 July 2021}}</ref>

The Welsh architect [[John Nash (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 to 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 and 1870. The [[lady chapel]] was restored by public subscription in 1901 and the eastern chapels were restored through a legacy of the Countess of Maidstone, granddaughter of Bishop [[John Jenkinson (bishop)|John Jenkinson]], between 1901 and 1910.

The cathedral suffered the pains of [[disestablishment]] in 1920, as did the whole Church in Wales. The [[Diocese of St Davids|diocese]] was made smaller by the removal of the Archdeaconry of Brecon to form the new [[Diocese of Swansea and Brecon]] in 1923. However, this left a large area as a diocese to govern and St Davids 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 (religion)|dean]]; appointed in his thirties, 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 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. It was Grade I-listed by Cadw in 1951.<ref>{{National Historic Assets of Wales|num=12538 |desc=St David's Cathedral |grade=I |access-date=25 August 2019 }}</ref>

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 [[Alfred Edwin Morris|Edwin Morris]] in 1966 and the inaugural event was a poetry reading by the 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, [[Charles III|Charles, Prince of Wales]], visited to celebrate the 800th anniversary of the consecration of the cathedral; and on [[Maundy Thursday]] 1982, [[Elizabeth II|Queen Elizabeth II]] distributed the [[Royal Maundy]] at the cathedral. This was the first occasion that the ceremony had taken place outside England. In 1989–90, the 1,400th anniversary of the death of St David was presided over by the [[Archbishop of Wales]], [[George Noakes]], who was also diocesan [[Bishop of St Davids]].

The decades leading to and immediately following the year 2000 have been the most notable in the cathedral's history since its construction.{{citation needed|date= August 2016}} First, the British Government decided to reinstate the title of "city" to St Davids and this was formally conferred by 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 to be time for the cathedral to invest in its future by creating a visitor centre within the bell tower, enlarging the peal of bells from eight to ten and by the "reconstruction", 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 rebuilt by the organ builders Harrison and Harrison of [[Durham, England|Durham]]. The organ was completed in the middle months of 2000 and dedicated on 15 October 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 Davids Cathedral. The substantial task of rebuilding 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.

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 {{long ton||24|3|25|lk=on}} in D. The back eight bells were cast in 1928 by Mears & Stainbank, London and two trebles added in 2000 cast by Whitechapel Bell Foundry, London.
Details of the bells:

{| class="wikitable"
! rowspan=2| Bell
! colspan=3| Weight
! rowspan=2| [[Musical note|Note]]
! colspan=2| Diameter
! rowspan=2| Cast year
! rowspan=2| Foundry
|-
![[long ton|long measure]]
! lb
! kg
! inches
! mm
|-
| 1 || {{long ton||5|1|3|disp=table}}   || F♯ ||  ||  || 2000 || Whitechapel Bell Foundry
|-
| 2 || {{long ton||5|1|23|disp=table}}  || E  ||  ||  || 2000 || Whitechapel Bell Foundry
|-
| 3 || {{long ton||5|2|22|disp=table}}  || D  || {{convert|30.00|in|mm|0|disp=table}} || 1928 || Mears & Stainbank
|-
| 4 || {{long ton||5|3|23|disp=table}}  || C♯ || {{convert|31.00|in|mm|0|disp=table}} || 1928 || Mears & Stainbank
|-
| 5 || {{long ton||7|0|13|disp=table}}  || B  || {{convert|33.00|in|mm|0|disp=table}} || 1928 || Mears & Stainbank
|-
| 6 || {{long ton||8|2|3|disp=table}}   || A  || {{convert|35.75|in|mm|0|disp=table}} || 1928 || Mears & Stainbank
|-
| 7 || {{long ton||10|3|13|disp=table}} || G  || {{convert|39.00|in|mm|0|disp=table}} || 1928 || Mears & Stainbank
|-
| 8 || {{long ton||11|2|23|disp=table}} || F♯ || {{convert|41.00|in|mm|0|disp=table}} || 1928 || Mears & Stainbank
|-
| 9 || {{long ton||17|1|2|disp=table}}  || E  || {{convert|46.00|in|mm|0|disp=table}} || 1928 || Mears & Stainbank
|-
|10 || {{long ton||24|3|25|disp=table}} || D  || {{convert|52.00|in|mm|0|disp=table}} || 1928 || Mears & Stainbank
|}

The restored Shrine of [[St David]] was unveiled and re-dedicated by the [[Right Reverend]] [[Wyn Evans]], [[Bishop of St Davids]], at a [[Eucharist|Choral Eucharist]] on [[St Davids Day]] 2012.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stdavidscathedral.org.uk/index.php?id=951|title=News Archive 2012|website=St Davids Cathedral}}</ref>

==Cathedral Hall and cloisters==
St Davids Cathedral Hall stands to the north of the nave and was originally the chapel of St Mary's College. It was restored by Alban Caroe in 1966.<ref>{{Cadw|num=12538|desc=St Davids Cathedral Hall|grade=I|access-date=29 August 2024}}</ref> The [[cloister]] complex lies to the north of the hall and comprises a number of buildings, including Cloister Hall, which were built over the [[undercroft]]s of the 14th century St Mary's College.<ref>{{cite book
|last1=Lloyd|first1=Thomas|last2=Orbach|first2=Julian|last3=Scourfield|first3=Robert|title=Pembrokeshire|series=[[Pevsner Architectural Guides|Buildings of Wales]]|year=2004|location=New Haven, US and London|publisher=[[Yale University Press]]|isbn=978-0-300-10178-2|page=418 |oclc=52946802 }}</ref> The undercrofts are a [[Listed building|Grade I listed building]] and a [[Scheduled monument]].<ref>{{Cadw|num=12555|desc=Undercrofts of former St Mary's College, beneath and to the rear of The Cloister Hall|grade=I|access-date=27 August 2024}}</ref><ref>{{Cadw|num=PE445|desc=St Davids Cathedral Close: Cloister Hall (Undercroft only)|grade=SM|access-date=27 August 2024}}</ref> Cloister Hall which dates from the early 19th century is also Grade I listed,<ref>{{Cadw|num=12553|desc=Cloister Hall|grade=I|access-date=27 August 2024}}</ref> as are an outbuilding<ref>{{Cadw|num=12554|desc=Outbuilding to north of the Cloister Hall |grade=I|access-date=27 August 2024}}</ref> and a wall with an inset gateway, both of which lie to the north of the hall.<ref>{{Cadw|num=12556|desc=Enclosing Wall & Gateway on north side of rear yard of Cloister Hall|grade=I|access-date=27 August 2024}}</ref> The gateway has a [[Tudor Revival architecture|Tudorbethan]] arch but is likely also 19th century in date.<ref>{{Coflein|num=309204|desc=Cloister Hall - Enclosing wall and gateway|access-date=27 August 2024}}</ref> Following an earlier refurbishment of the cloister complex in the 1960s, in 2004 the firm of Caroe & Partners led a major reconstruction. The partnership have been the cathedral's architects since the appointment of the firm's founder, [[W. D. Caröe]], in 1907.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.caroe.co.uk/st-davids-cloister|title=St David's Cloister|publisher=Caroe & Partners|access-date=27 August 2024}}</ref> The builders were Carreg Construction.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.carregconstruction.co.uk/portfolio/cloisters-project/|title=Prestigious Restoration Project in the Heart of St Davids Pembrokeshire|publisher=Carreg Construction|access-date=27 August 2024}}</ref> The rebuilding provided facilities for meetings, educational and outreach work, [[Retreat (spiritual)| retreat]] spaces and a [[Coffeehouse|café]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.stdavidscathedral.org.uk/cy/node/119|title=Cloister Project, St Davids Cathedral|publisher=St Davids Cathedral|access-date=27 August 2024}}</ref>

==Cathedral life==
[[File:Porth y Twr, St David's - geograph.org.uk - 1591193.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Porth y Twr, viewed from beside the cathedral]]
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 Davids was the first cathedral choir in the United Kingdom to use girls and men as the main choir, rather than boys and men.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stdavidscathedral.org.uk/index.php?id=699 |title=The Choir |website=St Davids Cathedral |access-date=2013-05-28}}</ref> ([[Salisbury Cathedral]] introduced boys and girls earlier on an equal basis, whereas St Davids uses girls as their "main" cathedral choristers.) There is also a boys' choir whose weekly [[Evening Prayer (Anglican)|Evensong]] is a major event within the cathedral week. They sing with the vicars choral regularly.

The St Davids 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.

==List of deans==
Before 1840 the senior residentiary cleric was the [[precentor]] 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 deans of St Davids are formally the "Dean and Precentor" and their seat being on what is normally regarded in most places the ''cantoris'' side, with a stall "in quire" reserved for the bishop.

*1839–1878 [[Llewelyn Lewellin]] (title of Dean granted in 1840)
*1878–1895 [[James Allen (priest, born 1802)|James Allen]]
*1895–1897 [[Owen Phillips (priest)|Owen Phillips]]
*1897–1903 [[David Howell (priest)|David Howell]]
*1904–1918 [[James Allan Smith]]
*1919–1930 [[William Williams (priest)|William Williams]]
*1931–1940 [[David Watcyn Morgan]]
*1940–1949 [[Albert Parry]]
*1950–1957 [[Carlyle Witton-Davies]] (afterwards [[Archdeacon of Oxford]], 1957)
*1957–1972 [[Edward Jenkins (priest)|Edward Jenkins]]
*1972–1984 [[Lawrence Bowen]]
*1984–1990 [[Gordon MacWilliam]]
*1990–1994 [[Bertie Lewis (priest)|Bertie Lewis]]
*1994–2008 [[Wyn Evans]] (afterwards [[Bishop of St&nbsp;Davids]])
*2009–2017 [[Jonathan Lean]]
*2018–present [[Sarah Rowland Jones]]

==Local legends==
[[Giraldus Cambrensis|Gerald of Wales]] (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 feet 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.<ref name="Barri1806" /> This ancient bridge was replaced in the 16th century and its present whereabouts are not known.<ref name = "Phillips"/><ref name = "Jones"/>

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, whilst on a pilgrimage to Saint Davids, 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.<ref name="Barri1806">{{cite book|author=Giraldus De Barri|title=The Itinerary of Archbishop Baldwin Through Wales, A. D. MCLXXXVIII|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JslcAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA6|year=1806|publisher=William Miller|location=London|translator=Hoare, Sir Richard Colt |pages=6–8}}</ref> This turned out to be true, for Henry never did conquer the whole of Ireland.<ref name="Phillips">{{cite book |last=Phillips |first=Rev. James |date=1909 |title=The History of Pembrokeshire |publisher=Elliot Stock |location=London |pages=205–206}}</ref><ref name="Jones">{{citation
|last1=Jones
|first1=William Basil
|last2=Freeman
|first2=Edward Augustus
|author2-link=Edward Augustus Freeman
|year=1856
|title=The History and Antiquities of Saint Davids
|publisher=J. H. & J. Parker
|publication-date=1856
|publication-place=London
|page=222
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=of4HAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA222
}}</ref>

==Burials==
*[[Rhys ap Gruffydd]]
*[[Gerald of Wales]]
*[[Thomas Fastolf]]
*[[Adam Houghton]]
*[[Edward Vaughan (bishop)]]
*[[Benedict Nichols]]
*[[Edmund Tudor, 1st Earl of Richmond]] (father of [[Henry VII of England|Henry VII]])

==Organ==
A specification of the organ can be found on the National Pipe Organ Register.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.npor.org.uk/cgi-bin/Rsearch.cgi?Fn=Rsearch&rec_index=R00087|title=Pembrokeshire (Dyfed), St Davids Cathedral of St David & St Andrew |year=2005|work=National Pipe Organ Register|publisher=The British Institute of Organ Studies|access-date=19 November 2008}}</ref>

===List of organists===
{{See also|List of musicians at Welsh cathedrals}}
{{columns-list|colwidth=20em|
*1509 John Norman
*1563 Thomas Elliot
*{{circa}}1570–{{circa}}1586 Thomas Tomkins (father of the composer [[Thomas Tomkins]])<ref>{{cite web|title=St Andrew and St David|url=http://www.churchmusic.org.uk/cathmus/stdavids.php|website=English Cathedrals Music|access-date=16 September 2016}}{{Self-published source|date=September 2016}}</ref><ref>{{Cite ODNB|id=27515|title=Thomas Tomkins|first=John |last=Irving|date=10 October 2019}}</ref>
*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 Beaumont]]
*1995 [[Geraint Bowen (musician)|Geraint Bowen]]
*2001 Timothy Noon
*2007 Alexander Mason
*2011 Daniel Cook
*2013 Oliver Waterer
*2021 Simon Pearce
}}

==In popular culture==
The cathedral's exterior and overall design were used as the basis of the fictional Nemeton monastery in the video game ''[[Koudelka]]'' and its sequels ''[[Shadow Hearts]]'' and ''[[Shadow Hearts: Covenant]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.zephyr.dti.ne.jp/~deadtech/koudelkaweb/k-nemeton.html |title=Nemeton Monastery |language=ja |first=Hiroki |last=Kikuta |author-link=Hiroki Kikuta |date=25 October 2000 |access-date=4 October 2020}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Chapel of St Non]] – on the coast near St Davids

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|St David's Cathedral}}
*{{Official website}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070927235221/http://www.stdavidscathedralcloisters.org.uk/index.php?id=691 Cathedral Festival website]
*[http://www.afsdc.org American Friends of St Davids Cathedral]
{{Cathedrals of the Church in Wales}}
{{Deans in the Church in Wales}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Davids Cathedral}}
[[Category:St Davids Cathedral| ]]
[[Category:Anglican cathedrals in Wales]]
[[Category:Grade I listed churches in Pembrokeshire]]
[[Category:Pre-Reformation Roman Catholic cathedrals]]
[[Category:History of Pembrokeshire]]
[[Category:Welsh folklore]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Pembrokeshire]]
[[Category:St Davids|Cathedral]]
[[Category:Grade I listed cathedrals in Wales]]
[[Category:Burial sites of the House of Dinefwr]]
[[Category:Burial sites of the House of Tudor]]
[[Category:Welsh churches dedicated to St David]]