Diagram of window in St Asaph catheadral 02170

The Cathedral Church of Saints Asaph and Cyndeyrn, commonly called St Asaph Cathedral ( cy, Eglwys Gadeiriol Llanelwy), is a cathedral in St Asaph, Denbighshire, north Wales. It is the episcopal seat of the

Bishop of St Asaph The Bishop of St Asaph heads the Church in Wales diocese of St Asaph. The diocese covers the counties of Conwy and Flintshire, Wrexham county borough, the eastern part of Merioneth in Gwynedd and part of northern Powys. The Episcopal seat is loca ...

. The cathedral dates back 1,400 years, while the current building dates from the 13th century. The cathedral is part of the Church in Wales and part of the Anglican Communion of Wales.

History

A church was originally built on or near the site by Saint Kentigern in the 6th century (other sources say Saint Elwy in 560). Saint Asa (or Asaph), a grandson of Pabo Post Prydain, followed after this date. The earliest parts of the present building date from the 13th century when a new building was begun on the site after the original stone cathedral was burnt by soldiers of King Edward I during the Second Welsh War in 1282. Indeed, there had been plans, following the First Welsh War (1277) to relocate the church to Rhuddlan, plans supported by

Bishop Anian A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

(Einion I). However these plans came to nought following the war of 1282, as Conwy and Caernarfon were considered to be the new centres of administration. The rebellion of

Owain Glyndŵr Owain ap Gruffydd (), commonly known as Owain Glyndŵr or Glyn Dŵr (, anglicised as Owen Glendower), was a Welsh leader, soldier and military commander who led a 15 year long Welsh War of Independence with the aim of ending English rule in Wa ...

resulted in part of the cathedral being reduced to a ruin for seventy years. The present building was largely built in the reign of Henry Tudor and greatly restored in the 19th century. The cathedral made the national press in 1930 when the tower became subject to significant

subsidence Subsidence is a general term for downward vertical movement of the Earth's surface, which can be caused by both natural processes and human activities. Subsidence involves little or no horizontal movement, which distinguishes it from slope move ...

and the cathedral architect

Charles Marriott Oldrid Scott Charles Marriott Oldrid Scott (1880 – 1952) was an English architect who is often best remembered for being the son of John Oldrid Scott and grandson of Sir Gilbert Scott ( George Gilbert Scott), both of whom were architects, as was his uncle ...

advised of urgent repairs to be undertaken. It was reported that the cause of the damage was by a subterranean stream. It made the papers again when work was approaching completion in 1935. Geoffrey of Monmouth served as

from 1152 to 1155, although due to war and unrest in Wales at the time, he probably never set foot in his see. William Morgan (1545 – 10 September 1604) was also Bishop of St Asaph and of Llandaff, and was the first to translate the whole Bible, from Greek and Hebrew, into Welsh. His Bible is kept on public display in the cathedral. The first Archbishop of Wales A. G. Edwards was appointed Bishop of St Asaph in 1889. In August 2018, the cathedral took the controversial step of making its music staff redundant, citing financial pressures. The cathedral have since reestablished the position of Director of music following the appointment of Paul Booth from September 2019. The choir continue to sing for three services a week.

The organ

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

List of organists

Assistant organists

*Llewelyn Lloyd 1875–1889 (later organist) *F. Walton Evans 1897–1901

Assistant Director of Music

*John Hosking (2004–2018)

Burials

John Owen (bishop of St Asaph) John Owen (1580–1651) was an English bishop of St Asaph. Life He was the eldest son of Owen Owens (died 1593) or John Owen, a Welsh-born Archdeacon of Anglesey, and Jane, his second wife. The son John was baptised at Burton-Latimer on 8 Novem ...

(1629 to 1651) * Isaac Barrow (bishop), Bishop of St Asaph (1669–1680)—buried in the Cathedral churchyard *

William Mathias William James Mathias CBE (1 November 1934 – 29 July 1992) was a Welsh composer noted for choral works. Biography Mathias was born in Whitland, Carmarthenshire. A child prodigy, he started playing the piano at the age of three and began co ...

(1934–1992), composer, born in Whitland, Carmarthenshire. *

William Carey (bishop) William Carey (1769–1846) was an English churchman and headmaster, Bishop of Exeter and Bishop of St Asaph. Life He was born on 18 November 1769. His success in life was due to William Vincent, by whose help he was admitted to Westminster ...

, Bishop of St Asaph (1830–1846)—buried in the Cathedral churchyard * Joshua Hughes, Bishop of St Asaph (1870–1889) * A. G. Edwards, Bishop of St Asaph (1889–1934) and first Archbishop of Wales

References

External links

Artwork at St Asaph Cathedral
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Asaph Cathedral Anglican cathedrals in Wales Pre-Reformation Roman Catholic cathedrals Grade I listed churches in Denbighshire St Asaph Grade I listed cathedrals in Wales 13th-century church buildings in Wales