The Cathedral

This building doesn’t rely on elaborate decoration for its beauty – though it has its moments – instead it enjoys a wonderful sense of proportion, simple shapes and elegance.

The nave here is the best place to understand what was built here in 1182. The ceiling however – and what a ceiling it is – is Tudor.

The choir is the heart of the cathedral. Here is the ‘cathedra’, or throne of the Bishop of St David’s. That’s where we get the name Cathedral from, and this one probably dates to Bishop Gower in the fourteenth century.

The misericords are later. We know they date from the sixteenth century because of symbols like this Tudor Rose and the pomegranate, which is a pun on the symbol of name of Catherine of Aragon - it was known as the Apple of Granada. Catherine of course was one of the wives of Henry VIII.

The refectory is the latest project at the Cathedral – the contemporary conversion of the cloisters and cathedral hall to provide hospitality once again to the thousands that flock here annually. These cloisters would once have been covered so this is a new interpretation of the original building.