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architecture

St Davids Cathedral

A square tower and long silver-grey roofs shelter a cathedral in a sheltered Welsh valley.

Wales

Illustration of St Davids Cathedral
St Davids Cathedral · USURPR illustration

The story behind the place

The present cathedral at St Davids was begun in 1181 under Bishop Peter de Leia. Its great square crossing tower rises above a much lower spread of chapels, aisles and lead-covered roofs. The building has weathered collapses, repairs and major restoration, including work associated with George Gilbert Scott in the nineteenth century. Look for the contrast between the tower’s simple mass and the delicate tracery of the windows below. This is still a living place of worship, with a long history carried in its changing stonework.

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