Brecon Cathedral (), in the town of

Brecon Brecon (; ; ), archaically known as Brecknock, is a market town in Powys, mid Wales. In 1841, it had a population of 5,701. The population in 2001 was 7,901, increasing to 8,250 at the 2011 census. Historically it was the county town of Breck ...

Powys Powys ( , ) is a Principal areas of Wales, county and Preserved counties of Wales, preserved county in Wales. It borders Gwynedd, Denbighshire, and Wrexham County Borough, Wrexham to the north; the English Ceremonial counties of England, ceremo ...

, is the cathedral of the

Diocese of Swansea and Brecon The Diocese of Swansea and Brecon is a Diocese of the Church in Wales, established in 1923 with Brecon Priory as the cathedral. The area of the diocese had formerly been the Archdeaconry of Brecon within the Diocese of St Davids. The dioce ...

in the

Church in Wales The Church in Wales () is an Anglican church in Wales, composed of six dioceses. The Archbishop of Wales does not have a fixed archiepiscopal see, but serves concurrently as one of the six diocesan bishops. The position is currently held b ...

and seat of the Bishop of Swansea and Brecon. Previously the church of Brecon Priory and then the Parish Church of St John the Evangelist, it became Brecon Cathedral following the

disestablishment of the Church in Wales The Welsh Church Act 1914 ( 4 & 5 Geo. 5. c. 91) is an act of Parliament under which the Church of England was separated and disestablished in Wales and Monmouthshire, leading to the creation of the Church in Wales. The Act had long been demand ...

in 1920 and the creation of the diocese in 1923.

History

Because of the characteristic round shape of its churchyard, the cathedral is thought to be on the site of an earlier

Celtic church Celtic Christianity is a form of Christianity that was common, or held to be common, across the Celtic-speaking world during the Early Middle Ages. The term Celtic Church is deprecated by many historians as it implies a unified and identifiab ...

, of which no trace remains. A new church, dedicated to St. John, was built on the orders of

Bernard de Neufmarché Bernard de Neufmarché (), also Bernard of Newmarket or Bernard of Newmarch was the first of the Norman invasion of Wales, Norman conquerors of Wales. He was a minor Normans, Norman lord who rose to power in the Welsh Marches before successfully ...

, the Norman

knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

who conquered the kingdom of Brycheiniog in 1093. He gave the church to one of his followers, Roger, a monk from

Battle Abbey Battle Abbey is a partially ruined Benedictine abbey in Battle, East Sussex, England. The abbey was built on the site of the Battle of Hastings and dedicated to St Martin of Tours. It is a Scheduled Monument. The Grade I listed site is now o ...

, who founded a

priory A priory is a monastery of men or women under religious vows that is headed by a prior or prioress. They were created by the Catholic Church. Priories may be monastic houses of monks or nuns (such as the Benedictines, the Cistercians, or t ...

on the site as a daughter house of Battle. The first prior at Brecon was Walter, another monk from Battle. Bernard de Neufmarché also endowed the priory with lands, rights and

tithe A tithe (; from Old English: ''teogoþa'' "tenth") is a one-tenth part of something, paid as a contribution to a religious organization or compulsory tax to government. Modern tithes are normally voluntary and paid in money, cash, cheques or v ...

s from the surrounding area, and, after his death, it passed to the Earls of Hereford, so giving it greater prosperity. The church was rebuilt and extended in the

Gothic style Gothic architecture is an architectural style that was prevalent in Europe from the late 12th to the 16th century, during the High and Late Middle Ages, surviving into the 17th and 18th centuries in some areas. It evolved from Romanesque ar ...

in about 1215, during the reign of King John. Brecon Cathedral: A Brief History
/ref> In the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

, the church was known as the church of Holy Rood or Holy Cross, because it owned a great "golden

rood A rood or rood cross, sometimes known as a triumphal cross, is a cross or crucifix, especially the large crucifix set above the entrance to the chancel of a medieval church. Alternatively, it is a large sculpture or painting of the crucifixio ...

" which was an object of pilgrimage and veneration until it was destroyed in the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the 16th century. Brecon Cathedral at Powys Local History Encyclopaedia
/ref> The smoke-blackened roof of its hall was built between 1237 and 1267. In 1538 the Prior was pensioned off, and the priory church became the parish church. Some of the surrounding buildings were adapted for secular use; and others, such as the

cloister A cloister (from Latin , "enclosure") is a covered walk, open gallery, or open Arcade (architecture), arcade running along the walls of buildings and forming a quadrangle (architecture), quadrangle or garth. The attachment of a cloister to a cat ...

s, were left to decay and later demolished. By the 19th century, the church was in poor repair and only the nave was in use. Some restoration took place in 1836, but major renovation of the church did not start until the 1860s. The tower was strengthened in 1914. The cathedral is a Grade I

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

. In recent years, some of the buildings in the cathedral close have been converted into a diocesan centre, a heritage centre and exhibition, as well as a shop and "the Hours" restaurant. Charles Lumley (1824–1858), awarded the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious decoration of the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British decorations system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British ...

during the

Crimean War The Crimean War was fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the Ottoman Empire, the Second French Empire, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and the Kingdom of Sardinia (1720–1861), Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont fro ...

, was buried in the cathedral churchyard.

Deans of Brecon

The present Dean is Paul Shackerley, who was appointed in September 2014, in succession to Geoffrey Marshall who retired earlier that year. *From the diocese's erection until 1939, the bishop was ''ex-officio'' dean; Roberts was Sub-Dean. *1939–1949 (ret.): Edward Roberts, Vicar of Brecon *1950–1964 (res.): William Jones, Vicar of St Mary's,

*1964–18 February 1967 (d.): Gwynno James, Vicar of St Mary's, Brecon and Battle *1967–1978 (ret.): Ungoed Jacob, Vicar of St Mary's, Brecon and Battle *1979–1982 (res.): Alwyn Rice Jones (became Bishop of St Asaph; later

Archbishop of Wales The post of Archbishop of Wales () was created in 1920 when the Church in Wales was separated from the Church of England and disestablished. The four historic Welsh dioceses had previously formed part of the Province of Canterbury, and so came ...

) *1982–1993 (res.): Huw Jones, Vicar of Brecon, Battle and Llanddew (became assistant bishop in Diocese of St Asaph; later Bishop of St Davids) *1993–1998 (ret.): John Harris, Vicar of Brecon with Battle and Llanddew *1998–2000 (ret.): Geraint Hughes *2000–2008 (res.): John Davies (became Bishop of Swansea and Brecon) *2008–2014 (ret.): Geoffrey Marshall *2014–present: Paul Shackerley

Organists

A specification of the pipe organ can be found on the National Pipe Organ Register.

Organists

*1923 John Humphrey Carden *1956 David Gwerfyl Davies (formerly organist of The Church of St. Nicholas, Kings Norton) *1963 Michael Bryan Hesford (later organist of St Mary's Church, Melton Mowbray) *1966 David Patrick Gedge *2007 Mark Duthie *2017 Stephen Power

Bells

There are ten bells, rung in the traditional full-circle manner of ringing, the tenor weight being 16 cwt.Dove ''Bellringer's Guide''; 10th ed., 2012, p.18

References

External links

Brecon Cathedral

Brecon Cathedral photographs (Flickr photo group)

Brecon Cathedral photographs (Roughwood Places of Worship)
{{Benedictine houses of England and Wales 1920 establishments in Wales Brecon Christian organizations established in 1920 Buildings and structures in Powys Anglican cathedrals in Wales Museums in Powys Religious museums in Wales Grade I listed churches in Powys Grade I listed cathedrals in Wales