Llandaff Cathedral

Llandaff Cathedral stands in the quiet suburb of Llandaff, on the north-west edge of Cardiff. Built on the site of an earlier Celtic church, the present building began in the 12th century and has been shaped by war, storm and rebuilding. The cathedral is the seat of the Bishop of Llandaff and is dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul and three Welsh saints. Its walls contain stone from Dundry in Somerset and local blue lias, while the post-war roofs are of Welsh slate and lead. The organ was destroyed by lightning in 2007 and replaced after a successful appeal. The cathedral’s history reaches back to legendary figures. Welsh tradition links its founding to King Lucius in the 2nd century, said to have built the first church in Britain on this spot. The Normans regarded Saint Dubricius, Saint Teilo and Saint Oudoceus as the cathedral’s founders and brought the relics of Saint Dubricius from Bardsey. In the 12th century Bishop Urban began the Norman cathedral, completed by Bishop Nicholas ap Gwrgant before 1183. Later bishops added the Lady Chapel and rebuilt parts of the choir. Inside, visitors find the restored nave and south aisle, the chapter house and the Lady Chapel at the rear. The west front shows a statue of Saint Teilo from 1220, and the northwest tower was added by Jasper Tudor. Tombs include those of the 6th-century saints and Sir David Mathew, who carried the English standard at Towton in 1461. The cathedral also houses the remains of its medieval library, lost when Parliamentarian troops burned the books at Cardiff Castle.