St Asaph Cathedral

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Saint Asaph Cathedral
Cathedral Church of Saints Asaph and Cyndeyrn
Eglwys Gadeiriol Llanelwy
St Asaph Cathedral from the north-west.jpg
St Asaph Cathedral from the north-west
St Asaph Cathedral
53°15′26″N3°26′31″W / 53.25722°N 3.44194°W / 53.25722; -3.44194
Location St Asaph, Denbighshire
Country Wales
Denomination Church in Wales
Previous denomination Roman Catholic
Church of England
Website https://stasaphcathedral.wales/en
History
Relics held St Asaph
Architecture
Style Romanesque architecture, English Gothic architecture
CompletedMid-13th century
Administration
Diocese St Asaph
Interior - nave and west end StAsaphCathedral Nave.JPG
Interior – nave and west end
Diagram of window in St Asaph cathedral, with the names of all the families represented by the coats of arms Diagram of window in St Asaph catheadral 02170.jpg
Diagram of window in St Asaph cathedral, with the names of all the families represented by the coats of arms

The Cathedral Church of Saints Asaph and Cyndeyrn, commonly called St Asaph Cathedral (Welsh : Eglwys Gadeiriol Llanelwy), is a cathedral in St Asaph, Denbighshire, north Wales. It is the episcopal seat of the Bishop of St Asaph. The cathedral dates back 1,400 years, while the current building dates from the 13th century. [1] The cathedral is part of the Church in Wales and part of the Anglican Communion of Wales.

Contents

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 (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. [2]

The rebellion of Owain Glyndŵr 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 and the cathedral architect Charles Marriott Oldrid Scott advised of urgent repairs to be undertaken. [3] [4] It was reported that the cause of the damage was by a subterranean stream. [5] It made the papers again when work was approaching completion in 1935. [6]

Geoffrey of Monmouth served as Bishop of St Asaph 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. [7] 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. [8]

List of organists

Year instatedName
1620John Day
1630Abednego D. Perkins
1631John Wilson
1669Thomas Ottey
1680William Key
1686Thomas Hughes
1694Alexander Gerard
1738John Gerard
1782John Jones
1785Edward Bailey
1791Charles Spence
1794Henry Hayden
1834Robert Augustus Atkins
1889Llewellyn Lloyd
1897 Hugh Percy Allen
1898Archibald Wayet Wilson
1901 Cyril Bradley Rootham
1902William Edward Belcher
1917 Harold Carpenter Lumb Stocks
1956Robert Duke Dickinson
1962James Roland Middleton
1970Graham John Elliott
1981John Theodore Belcher
1985Hugh Davies
1998Graham Eccles
2004Alan McGuinness
2018position abolished [7]
2019Paul Booth - position reestablished

Assistant organists

Assistant Director of Music

[9]

Burials

See also

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References

  1. "St Asaph in north Wales named Diamond Jubilee city". BBC News. 14 March 2012.
  2. A.J. Taylor, ‘Rhuddlan cathedral: a ‘might-have-been’ of Flintshire history’, Flintshire Historical Society Publications 15 (1954-5)
  3. The Times, Saturday April 5, 1930; pg. 11; Issue 45480; col E
  4. The Times, Saturday April 19, 1930; pg. 12; Issue 45491; col B.
  5. The Times, Saturday September 6, 1930; pg. 12; Issue 45611; col D
  6. The Times, Wednesday September 18, 1935; pg. 13; Issue 47172; col E
  7. 1 2 "Cathedral makes music team redundant". BBC News. 27 August 2018. Retrieved 19 September 2018.
  8. "The National Pipe Organ Register - NPOR".
  9. "Assistant Director of Music". Archived from the original on 30 April 2018.

Further reading

Commons-logo.svg Media related to St Asaph Cathedral at Wikimedia Commons