St David's Cathedral

The cathedral in St David's, one of Britain's earliest, was built in a hollow to escape the attentions of marauders from the sea. Consequently from the immediately surrounding area only the tower can be seen. The precincts of the cathedral were enclosed by a wall in the 13th C. The cathedral is mainly Late Norman (end of the 12th C), but 14th C. rebuilding has given the exterior a Decorated aspect. As in many early churches and cathedrals the original tower collapsed in 1220 and was rebuilt in 1250. The Lady Chapel was added in the Early English period. The west front was given its present form by Sir George Gilbert Scott between 1862 and 1878. While the exterior of the cathedral appears rather somber and austere, the rich variety of forms within its triple-aisle Norman interior creates an overwhelming effect. The beautiful ceiling of Irish oak was added in the late 15th C. The very fine rood-screen is also 15th C. Of the four arches supporting the tower, the one on the west side dates from before the collapse of the original tower, the three others from after 1220. The choir-stalls, with filigree misericords, and the bishop's throne date from the second half of the 15th C. Bishop Vaughan's Chapel has fine fan-vaulting. The transepts are partly original, partly rebuilt after the collapse of the tower in an Early Gothic style characteristic of South Wales. The relics contained in a small chest in the Trinity Chapel are probably those of St David; his shrine in front of the high altar is empty.