St. Davids Cathedral, Cardiff

St Davids Cathedral, Pembrokeshire: A Correction First

The title of this post is slightly misleading: St Davids Cathedral is not in Cardiff. It is in St Davids, a city in Pembrokeshire in south-west Wales that holds the distinction of being the smallest city in the United Kingdom by population (around 1,700 residents), having been granted city status by virtue of the cathedral. Cardiff has its own Anglican cathedral (Cardiff Cathedral, formerly St Teilo’s), which is a fine Victorian building but is not the main event. The St Davids that most people want to visit is the one with the ancient pilgrimage history.

That said, this post covers St Davids Cathedral properly, along with what to do in the surrounding area.

The Cathedral

St Davids Cathedral occupies a valley below the town, deliberately built in a hollow in the 12th century so it would be invisible from the sea and from raiders approaching from the coast. The current building dates mainly from 1181 onward, with significant additions in the 13th, 14th, and 16th centuries and Victorian restoration work that is broadly respectful. The approach to the cathedral is through the 14th-century gatehouse, down a path that keeps the building hidden until the final moment – a deliberate piece of medieval theatrical architecture.

The interior is striking for its proportions. The nave has an unusual incline (the floor rises about two metres from west to east), the ceiling is a 16th-century Irish oak fan vault of considerable beauty, and the stone has the warm purple-grey of Pembrokeshire sandstone. The Trinity Chapel behind the high altar contains a casket believed to hold the bones of St David and St Justinian.

St David (Dewi Sant in Welsh) died around 589 CE and is the patron saint of Wales. His feast day is March 1st. In the medieval period, two pilgrimages to St Davids were considered equivalent to one pilgrimage to Rome. The town received tens of thousands of pilgrims annually for several centuries. The scale of the cathedral – far too large for the current town population – reflects that history.

Bishop’s Palace

The ruins of the Bishop’s Palace, adjacent to the cathedral, are managed by Cadw (the Welsh government’s historic environment service). Entry costs a few pounds and is worth it. The palace was built largely in the 14th century under Bishop Henry de Gower and is an elaborate example of late medieval ecclesiastical architecture, with arcaded parapets and a great hall that still shows its original scale and ambition. By 1536 it was already being quarried for building material; it has been a ruin for almost five centuries.

St Davids Town

St Davids (the town) is small enough to walk across in ten minutes. The main street has a concentration of independent shops, cafes, and restaurants of reasonable quality for such a small place. The Cross Square at the town centre is the hub, with a medieval preaching cross. The town is busy in summer and quiet in winter; out-of-season visits have the advantage of parking without stress and the cathedral without crowds.

Cwtch restaurant on Cross Square has been well-reviewed for Welsh produce cooking for several years. For something more casual, The Bench deli and food shop does good sandwiches and local produce.

The Pembrokeshire Coast

St Davids sits within the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, the only coastal national park in the UK. The coast path runs past the city in both directions, and several walks from St Davids itself reward the effort.

Whitesands Bay (Porth Mawr) is a 20-minute drive north, with a large sandy beach suitable for surfing. It gets crowded in school holidays but is excellent in spring and autumn.

The path north toward Porthgain passes through headlands with seal colonies visible in the autumn pupping season (September-November). Porthgain is a former industrial harbour (stone and slate export) that has become a good lunch destination; The Sloop Inn there is a functioning pub with above-average food.

St Non’s Chapel, a 15-minute walk south from the cathedral, marks the traditional birthplace of St David. The ruins of a medieval chapel sit next to a holy well that has been venerated continuously since the 6th century. It is quiet and uncommercialised.

Getting There

St Davids is at the end of a road in Pembrokeshire, not on the way to anywhere else. By car from Cardiff, allow 2.5-3 hours via the M4 and A40. The train reaches Haverfordwest (24 kilometres east of St Davids); buses connect Haverfordwest to St Davids but the service is infrequent, particularly on Sundays. A car is the practical choice for exploring the coast path and surrounding bays.