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Church in Wales
Eglwys Yng Nghymru |
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A SHORT HISTORY |
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Llandaff Cathedral stands on one of the oldest Christian sites in Britain. In the sixth century St Dyfrig founded a community close to the ford where the Roman road crossed the river Taff. He was succeeded by St Teilo and then Teilo's nephew, St Euddogwy. These three Celtic Saints remain patron saints of the present Cathedral and are represented by the three mitres in the Cathedral badge. Nothing remains of the original church but a Celtic Cross that stood nearby can still be seen near the door of the Chapter House.
Until the time of King Henry VIII, Jasper Tudor’s kinsman, pilgrims thronged to the shrine of St Teilo whose tomb still stands in the sanctuary, and their gifts supported the church. When pilgrims were forbidden and other revenues taken away it was no longer possible to maintain the building adequately and over the next 200 years it fell into a state of near-ruin. In 1734 restoration began in the popular style of the day but the "Italian Temple" which John Wood, the Bath architect, planned to construct in the fabric of the mediaeval cathedral was never quite completed and the original walls and pillars - or such of them as were still standing - still remained. A hundred years later, new life and growing prosperity in the Diocese made possible a fresh restoration undertaken by J F Seddon and John Pritchard. To them we owe much of the present structure including the South West tower and spire, completed in 1869, which replaced the early-12th century tower which collapsed in 1722.
The cathedral church is one of the principal instruments used by the Church, gathered round its bishop, in its work of praising the Holy Name of God and enlarging His kingdom. For this task it needs to be constantly conserved, adorned and provided with the facilities it requires, and this is taking place in the early years of the 21st century, no less than in the past, as the House of Teilo, as Llandaff Cathedral has been called after the bishop who built the first church on the banks of the River Taff behind its protective hill, continues its work in the next millennium.
1120 The Normans start to build the present Cathedral on the site of a small church which had stood here since circa 560. 1190-1220 The Nave and the West Front. 1250 The Chapter House and detached belfry on the Green 1287 The Lady Chapel 1485 The Jasper Tower built by Jasper Tudor 1590 Ruin after Reformation, For a century and a half the Nave was in ruins, and only the Lady Chapel was used. 1736 Partial restoration reaching a point in the Nave marked today by the special paving. The Architect, John Wood of Bath; classical style; an “Italian Temple” was build within the walls of the Presbytery and Nave. Much mediaeval work was destroyed. 1843 The nineteenth century total restoration by John Pritchard and J.P. Seddon was begun. All the eighteenth century work was removed. The pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood was commissioned to work in the Cathedral.
1857 the first part of the
restoration was completed. The Presbytery, Choir, and half the Nave were
1860 The Cathedral Organ was dedicated, the first instrument since the last part of the 17th century [17th September]. 1869 The whole Cathedral was completely restored. The Pritchard Tower (and spire) were built. 1880 The Cathedral School was re-founded by Dean Vaughan, the only surviving Choir School in Wales. 1941 A German land mine reduced the Cathedral to almost complete ruin [2nd January]. 1942 The Lady Chapel and Presbytery were reopened for worship, but only temporarily restored [30th April]. 1949 The restoration begins under Mr George Pace who was appointed Architect to succeed Mr Charles Nicholson. 1951 The Jesse east window of the Lady Chapel was dedicated [20th October]. 1952 The two south windows of the Lady Chapel were dedicated. 1956 The Welsh Regiment Memorial Chapel was dedicated [22nd September]. 1957 The restored Nave was hallowed for use by Archbishop John Morgan [10 April]. 1958 The 53rd (Welsh) Infantry Division Memorial Chapel was Dedicated [26th April]. The reconstructed Hill, Norman & Beard organ was dedicated [8 October]. 1959 The John Piper window above the Sanctuary Arch was dedicated [4th October]. 1960 The High Altar 17th century Candlesticks and mediaeval Crucifix were dedicated [19th June] The Pulpit, a memorial to the late Archbishop John Morgan, was dedicated [28th July]. Thanksgiving to Almighty God for the restoration of the Cathedral and for fourteen centuries of Christian witness in this place [6th August]. 1980 The screen in the St Dyfrig Chapel, a memorial to Archbishop Glyn Simon, was dedicated on the completion of the refurbishment of the Chapel [4th July]. 1985-1990 Restoration under the direction of the Cathedral Architects, Mr Robert Heaton (1977-1986) and Mr Donald Buttress (from 1986):
Cleaning and restoration of the
West Front; 1991
Service of Thanksgivng for the restoration work of 1985-90, in the presence of
Their Royal 1992
Recasting of the existing ring of 10 bells as a new ring of 12 (with flat sixth
semi-tone bell) by the |
The present cathedral dates from 1107
when Bishop Urban, the first Bishop appointed by the Normans, instigated the building of a much larger church. The arch behind the High Altar
was built at that time and the doorway that now leads to the St David (or Welsh Regiment) Chapel may have been the West door of Urban’s church until it
was moved to its new site when the Cathedral was extended and widened and a new West front built about 1220. This West front is judged by many to be
one of the two or three most notable mediaeval works of art in Wales. 
Later in the
A great deal of the 19th century work inside the Cathedral perished when the building was
heavily damaged and the roof destroyed in the 1939-45 War. Its restoration was entrusted to George Pace who aimed at blending new work with what
remained of the old and at giving the Cathedral a sense of spaciousness which it previously lacked. The High Altar was lowered and the triptych of the
Seed of David by D G Rossetti which stood behind it was moved to a new position i
n
the St Illtyd Chapel at the foot of the North West tower. Pace built the Welch Regiment Memorial Chapel but his greatest achievement is the reinforced
concrete arch surmounted by Sir Jacob Epstein’s aluminium statue of Christ in Majesty which stands between the Nave and the Choir and
"breaks", without interrupting, the view of the whole building from the top of the steps inside the West door to Geoffrey Webb’s Jesse window at the
East end of the Lady Chapel.