Llandaff Cathedral facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Llandaff Cathedral |
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| The Cathedral Church of Saints Peter and Paul with Saints Dyfrig, Teilo, and Euddogwy | |
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Eglwys Gadeiriol Llandaf
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 Llandaff Cathedral
Location in Cardiff
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| 51°29′45″N 3°13′04″W / 51.4957°N 3.2179°W | |
| Location | Cardiff |
| Country | Wales |
| Denomination | Church in Wales |
| History | |
| Status | Cathedral |
| Founded | 1120 |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Style | Medieval, Gothic |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | Llandaff |
Llandaff Cathedral (which in Welsh is Eglwys Gadeiriol Llandaf) is an Anglican church in Llandaff, Cardiff, Wales. It is the main church for the Bishop of Llandaff, who leads the Diocese of Llandaff in the Church in Wales. The cathedral is named after Saint Peter and Saint Paul, and also three important Welsh saints: Dubricius (Dyfrig), Teilo, and Oudoceus (Euddogwy). It's one of two cathedrals in Cardiff.
The building you see today was started in the 12th century on the site of an even older church. Over the years, the cathedral has been badly damaged several times. This happened during the rebellion of Owain Glyndŵr in 1400, and later during the English Civil War when soldiers took over the church. A huge storm in 1703 also caused a lot of harm. By 1717, the damage was so bad that people thought about moving the bishop's main church somewhere else.
After more storms in the 1720s, a new design for the cathedral began in 1734 by John Wood, the Elder. During the Second World War, in January 1941, the cathedral was hit by a bomb during the Cardiff Blitz. This blew off the roof of the main part of the church and other areas.
Most of the old stone in the cathedral is from Somerset, but newer parts use local blue lias stone. After World War II, concrete and Pennant sandstone were used for repairs. The roofs, made of Welsh slate and lead, were added after the war. In 2007, the organ was damaged by a lightning strike, and people raised £1.5 million to get a brand new one.
For many years, the cathedral has had a traditional choir of boys and men. More recently, a girls' choir was also started. The cathedral has the only special choir school in the Church in Wales, called the Cathedral School, Llandaff. Inside the cathedral, you can find the tombs of important figures like Dubricius and Teilo, who were early Welsh saints. Many Bishops of Llandaff are also buried there.
Contents
Cathedral History
Ancient Beginnings
Many people agree that the Norman cathedral was built where a very old Celtic church once stood. However, historians aren't sure exactly how old, how important, or how big that first church was.
The Legend of Lucius
Welsh stories say that the church was first started by Lucius, a legendary king from the 2nd century. He is said to be the first British person to become a Christian. The story goes that Lucius asked the Pope (Eleutherius) to send people to Britain to teach Christianity. The Pope sent a mission, and they supposedly built Britain's first church at Llandaff.
Even though this story is now thought to be a legend, it was widely believed in the Middle Ages. Early Welsh saints like Fagan, Deruvian, and Elvan are linked to this first church. Fagan is sometimes called "the first Bishop of Llandaff."
Saint Dubricius and Saint Teilo
Later stories say that the early Christian community at Llandaff was restarted by Saint Dyfrig (Dubricius) and his follower Saint Teilo. These two saints are linked to the famous King Arthur in some legends.
The Normans, who built the current cathedral, believed Dyfrig and Teilo were the original founders. Today, they are still honored as the cathedral's patron saints, along with their successor Oudoceus. We know there was an old church here because of ancient remains found at the site, like an old Celtic cross.
The Norman Cathedral
The Normans took control of Glamorgan early in their conquest of Wales. They appointed Urban as their first bishop in 1107. He started building the cathedral in 1120. He also moved the remains of Saint Dyfrig to the new church. The building was likely finished around 1183. It was dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul, and also to Dubricius, Teilo, and Oudoceus.
Around 1214, Bishop Henry de Abergavenny organized the Llandaff Cathedral chapter, which is the group of clergy who run the cathedral. He added many priests and deacons. The west front of the cathedral, which is the main entrance side, was built around 1220 and includes a statue of St Teilo. The cathedral was rededicated in 1266, meaning it was officially blessed again after some changes.
The Lady Chapel, a special chapel, was built by Bishop William de Braose between 1266 and 1287. It was built behind Urban's original church. After this, the cathedral seemed to be always under repair or being changed slowly.
The cathedral was badly damaged in 1400 during the rebellion led by Owain Glyndŵr. His forces also destroyed the Bishop's Palace. The damage was so severe that Bishop Blethyn thought in 1575 that the cathedral might be too damaged to fix. Most of the other damage was repaired, especially by Bishop Marshall. The northwest tower, which doesn't have a spire, was added by Jasper Tudor and is now named after him.
From Medieval Times to the Victorian Era
During the English Civil War, soldiers who supported Parliament took over the cathedral. They destroyed parts of it and burned books from the cathedral library at Cardiff Castle. A man named Milles even turned parts of the cathedral into a tavern and a stable. He used the choir area for his calves and the font as a trough for his pigs!
The southwest tower was badly damaged in a huge storm in 1703. By 1720, it was falling apart. The damage was so bad that the church considered moving the bishop's main church to Cardiff in 1717. More storms between 1720 and 1723 caused even more damage, including parts of the roof falling down. The collapse in 1723 meant that church services had to be held only in the Lady Chapel.
Thirty years later, in 1734, an architect named John Wood, the Elder was hired to restore the cathedral. Wood designed a building that looked like an Italian temple, but he only worked on the eastern part, leaving the western half in ruins. It took many more years for the western part to be repaired. Wood's plans to add a new tower and porch to the western entrance were never built.
It wasn't until 1841 that work began to fix the western entrance. All traces of Wood's Italian temple style were removed. In the 19th century, for the first time in centuries, the bishop started living in Llandaff again. The position of Dean, which hadn't been filled for 700 years, was also brought back in 1843. This was the start of better times for the cathedral. The new Dean, William Bruce Knight, helped a lot with the needed repairs.
Enough restoration was done for the cathedral to reopen for services on 16 April 1857. For the first time since 1691, choral music was heard in Llandaff Cathedral. The restoration work removed all parts of the Italian temple design and fixed the damage it had caused. Hidden arches and other features were uncovered and restored.
After the reopening service, a detailed plan for more restoration was announced, and people started donating money. Even the Prince of Wales (who later became Edward VII) and John Crichton-Stuart, 3rd Marquess of Bute gave enough money for the work to continue right away. Much of this restoration was done by local architect John Prichard between 1843 and 1869. Famous artists like Dante Gabriel Rossetti and Ford Madox Brown designed new art for the cathedral, including a special altarpiece and stained glass windows. Sir Edward Burne-Jones designed beautiful porcelain panels for St Dyfrig's Chapel.
From 1691 until about 1860, there was no choir at the cathedral, and no organ for some time. In 1860, Bishop Alfred Ollivant wrote a book to raise money to bring back the choir and buy a new organ. A cathedral school has been around since the 9th century. It was reorganized in 1888 and started accepting girls in 1978.
The 20th and 21st Centuries
On the evening of 2 January 1941, during the Second World War, a bomb fell near the cathedral during the Cardiff Blitz. When it exploded, it blew the roof off the main part of the church, the south aisle, and the chapter house. The top of the spire also needed to be rebuilt, and the organ was damaged. The Sunday after the bombing, services were held in the Deanery. Work began quickly to clear and repair the Lady Chapel and Sanctuary, which finished in April 1942. More work couldn't happen until after the war. Of all British cathedrals, only Coventry Cathedral was damaged more. Because of its importance, Llandaff Cathedral was given Grade I building status in 1952.
Major repairs and changes were made by architect George Pace of York. The building was back in use by June 1958. Elizabeth II attended a service in 1960 to celebrate the completion of the restoration. The Welch Regiment Memorial Chapel was built, and artist Jacob Epstein created the large sculpture of Christ in Majesty. This sculpture is placed high above the nave on a concrete arch designed by George Pace.
In February 2007, the cathedral was hit by a severe lightning strike. This badly damaged the electrics of the organ, which was already old. The organ couldn't be used after the lightning strike. This led to an appeal to raise £1.5 million for a completely new organ.
Cathedral Architecture
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The original church before the Normans was very small, only about 28 feet long. Construction of a much grander building began in the 1120s under Bishop Urban. However, this didn't last long, as a lot of building work was done between 1193 and 1218. The western parts of the church, including the nave and front, that Urban had built were replaced, and these parts still stand today. The beautiful design shows similarities to Glastonbury Abbey and Wells Cathedral, suggesting that skilled builders from Somerset worked on it.
Even with some changes in the 13th and 14th centuries, and a new northwest tower built by Jasper Tudor, by the late 1500s the church was in bad shape. In 1594, the bishop said the cathedral looked "more like a desolate and profane place than like a house of prayer." The church continued to be in poor condition. By 1692, choir services had to stop because people feared the roof would fall. A storm in 1703 blew away parts of the northwest tower, and the southwest tower collapsed in 1722.
In 1734, John Wood of Bath was hired to restore the cathedral, but his work was never fully finished. It wasn't until 1840, when Cardiff grew with industry, that the cathedral could finally raise enough money for a full restoration.
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T. H. Wyatt started restoring the Lady Chapel in 1841, but much of the work was later done by John Prichard. Prichard worked extensively on the church in the 1840s and 1850s. He restored the sanctuary by 1850 and began working on the nave by 1852, removing much of what Wood had built. With John Pollard Seddon and pre-Raphaelite artists like Dante Gabriel Rossetti and Thomas Woolner, many improvements were made. Morris & Co. provided the stained glass in the 1860s. Prichard also dramatically rebuilt the southwest tower between 1867 and 1869.
In 1941, a bomb exploded near the cathedral, causing the nave roof to collapse and shattering the windows. Charles Nicholson was hired to rebuild the roof. In 1949, George Pace of York took over, and with the dean, Glyn Simon, he made many modern improvements, though many parts still kept a Gothic style.
The stone from the medieval period is mostly Somerset Dundry stone, but also Sutton stone and local blue lias stone. After World War II, concrete and Pennant sandstone were used. The roofs, added after the war, are made of Welsh slate and lead. The West front of the cathedral has a large central doorway.
The south side of the nave has eight sections with strong supports called buttresses. The Chapter House, a small, two-story square building, is on the side of the south aisle. It dates from the mid-13th century and is made from different types of limestone and local red sandstone. The octagonal roof was designed by Prichard. Inside, there is a pulpit featuring Moses. Also notable is St David's Chapel, added by George Pace in 1953–1956, which you can enter through the old Norman north door.
Cathedral Music
Choirs
For many years, Llandaff Cathedral has had a traditional choir of boys and men. More recently, a Girls' Choir was also formed. The boys and girls attend the Cathedral School, Llandaff, which is the only special choir school in the Church in Wales.
The Cathedral Choir includes boys and adult male singers (altos, tenors, and basses). They sing at Sunday services and for Choral Evensong. The full choir also sings on Thursdays, with the boys singing alone on Tuesdays and the lower voices on Fridays. The Girl Choristers and Schola Cantorum keep the singing tradition going during the week. The Girl Choristers sometimes sing with the main Cathedral Choir and have performed at big events.
The parish choir also sings at the weekly Parish Eucharist. This is a mixed choir of boys, girls, men, and women. The cathedral has a ring of twelve bells (plus an extra "flat sixth" bell, making thirteen in total) for change-ringing. These bells were put in place in 1992, replacing an older set of ten. Llandaff Cathedral is the only church in Cardiff with a set of twelve bells.
In December 2013, the cathedral faced financial difficulties. To save money, the cathedral decided to let go of all the paid adult choir members (altos, tenors, and basses) and the assistant organist.
Recordings
In 2012, the cathedral released its first music recording called Majestas. This recording featured the new cathedral organ and the Llandaff Cathedral choir. The title came from the Jacob Epstein sculpture in the cathedral. Money from the sales went to charities in Africa.
In August 2018, another recording called Deo Gracias was released, featuring the 2010–13 Nicholson Organ played by the Director of Music, Stephen Moore.
In December 2018, the cathedral choir released a recording called Nadolig yn Llandaf, which means "Christmas in Llandaff." It featured seasonal music for Advent and Christmas.
Organs
Main Organs
The first organ at Llandaff was built in 1861. Later, its pipes were moved to another church.
The second organ was built in 1900 and rebuilt in 1937. It was repaired after the wartime damage but was never quite right. Then, in 2007, a lightning strike made it unusable.
A new organ was installed by Nicholson & Co Ltd starting in 2008. It was ready to be played by Easter 2010. Its first performance was at the Easter Vigil service on 3 April 2010. Money from the 2011 Llandaff Festival of Music helped finish the new organ. The last parts were added in late summer 2013. This was the first completely new organ for a British cathedral since the 1960s.
Lady Chapel Organs
Two smaller organs have been used in the Lady Chapel. The first was built in 1946. This was replaced in 1960 by a single manual organ, which is still there today.
Notable Burials
Many important people are buried at Llandaff Cathedral, including:
- Dubricius: A 6th-century saint whose body was moved to Llandaff Cathedral in 1120.
- Teilo: A 6th-century Welsh clergyman and saint.
- Henry de Abergavenny: Bishop of Llandaff from 1193 to 1218.
- William de Braose: Bishop of Llandaff from 1266 to 1287.
- Sir David Mathew: (1400–1484) Lord of Llandaff and a powerful figure. He was appointed "Grand Standard Bearer of England" by King Edward IV for saving his life in battle.
- Many other Bishops of Llandaff, including Alfred Ollivant (1849–1882).
See also
- List of cathedrals in Wales
- Dean of Llandaff – A list of the deans of Llandaff cathedral
- Listed buildings in Cardiff
