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List of cathedrals in Wales

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This is a list of all cathedrals in Wales, both Anglican Church in Wales cathedrals, and most of the Roman Catholic cathedrals of the Metropolitan Province of Cardiff, excluding the province's former pro cathedral Belmont Abbey in Herefordshire, England, as part of the Catholic Church in England and Wales.

Church in Wales

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There are six dioceses of Wales with a Bishop for each diocese of the Church in Wales. The Archbishop of Wales is elected by the Electoral College from amongst the six Welsh diocesan bishops. The first Archbishop of Wales was enthroned in 1920.[1]

The Welsh Church Act 1914 caused the Church of England to be disestablished in Wales and Monmouthshire in 1920, and allowed the establishment of the Church in Wales and enthronement of the first Archbishop of Wales in the same year.[2][3][1] The act introduction states, "An Act to terminate the establishment of the Church of England in Wales and Monmouthshire, and to make provision in respect of the Temporalities thereof, and for other purposes in connection with the matters aforesaid."[4]

Image Name and dedication Diocese Established, location
Bangor Cathedral

Cathedral Church of St Deiniol

Diocese of Bangor 456
secular canons 1092
Brecon Cathedral

Cathedral Church of St John the Evangelist

Diocese of Swansea and Brecon 1923
Benedictine priory 1093/1110–1538
Llandaff Cathedral

Cathedral Church of St Peter and St Paul, St Dyfrig, St Teilo and St Euddogwy

Diocese of Llandaff 550
monastery, secular canons 1107
Newport Cathedral

Cathedral Church of St Woolos

Diocese of Monmouth 1921 as co-cathedral

1949 as cathedral

former parish church
St Asaph Cathedral

Cathedral Church of St Asaph

Diocese of St Asaph 553
monastery, secular canons 1143
St Davids Cathedral

Cathedral Church of St David

Diocese of St Davids 580
secular canons 1116

originally dedicated to St Andrew and St David

Roman Catholic Church

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Catholic Province of Cardiff until 2024. A map of the ecclesiastical province in the Catholic Church. The crosses mark where the Cathedrals prior to 2024 of each diocese was located. The pre-2024 specific dioceses are in different colours.
Map of the catholic Roman Catholic cathedrals in Wales

The Welsh and Herefordshire operations of the Catholic Church in England and Wales is divided into three dioceses; the Diocese of Wrexham, the Diocese of Menevia and the Archdiocese of Cardiff. Together these dioceses make up the Catholic Province of Cardiff.[5]

The Archdiocese of Cardiff includes 78 churches including Cardiff cathedral. 70 of these churches are in south east Wales and 8 churches in Herefordshire, England.[6] The Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales is a permanent assembly of Catholic Bishops and Personal Ordinaries in the two member countries of Wales and England.[7]

Image Name and dedication Diocese Established, location
Cardiff Metropolitan Cathedral

Cathedral and Metropolitan Church of St David

Archdiocese of Cardiff-Menevia 1916
Swansea Cathedral

Cathedral Church of St Joseph

Diocese of Menevia (1898–2024) 1987–2024
church opened in 1888, located in Convent Street, Greenhill, SA1 2BX
Wrexham Cathedral

Cathedral Church of Our Lady of Sorrows

Diocese of Wrexham 1907
parish church 1847

pro-cathedral 1907–1987

Former or proposed Cathedrals

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Going by the Cathedral definition of seating a bishop this list includes St David's and St Asaph's attempt's to relocate to larger towns and also several early Celtic Catholic pre-congregational churches as well. Several of these are shrouded in mystery making it hard to figure out what's right and what's wrong

Image Name and dedication Diocese Established, location
St Padarn's Church, Llanbadarn Fawr

Saint Padarn's church

Diocese of St Davids 6th century-9th century

Proposed from 1920-1923

Leicester's Church, Denbigh

Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester

Diocese of St Asaph Proposed St Asaph move begun in 1578-9, abandoned in 1584[8]
Planned Puritan cathedral built on site of earlier church, in north Wales then largest town

N/A

N/A

Diocese of St Asaph Proposed St Asaph move from 1281-1283
Proposed move to new english fortified town Rhuddlan. The intended cathedral site was probably used for the new parish church, St Mary's, in c. 1300

St Peter's Church, Carmarthen

St Peter's Church

Diocese of St Davids Proposed St Davids move from 1536-1539 and 1678
proposed move the see to Carmarthen then the largest town in Wales[9]
N/A Glasbury Cathedral

Saint Cynidr

Diocese of St Davids 6th century-11th century
N/A The Seven Bishop-Houses of the Kingdom of Dyfed

N/A

Diocese of St Davids The 6 subordinate churches lasted from the 6th century-10th century
7 in all including the current Cathedral at St David's they were scattered across the former kingdom of dyfed St David's had a higher status than any of the others. Apart from the Bishop of St David's, their heads were described as abbots. Whether the other six were also bishoprics, former bishoprics, burial places of saint-bishops or staging posts in the travels of the bishop of St David's is debated.[10]

Church of St Kentigern and St Asa

Original dedication unknown

Diocese of St Asaph 6th century-11th century
St Asaph's former location

St Saeran's Church, Llanynys

St Saeran's Church

Diocese of St Asaph 6th century
[11]

St Cybi's Church

St Cybi's Church

Diocese of Bangor 540-554

St Teilo's Church, Llandeilo Fawr

St Teilio's Church

Diocese of St Davids 6th century-11th century

St Margaret's Church

St Margaret's Church

Diocese of Hereford 6th century-11th century
Was in Wales prior to 1844[12]

See also

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Wales

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Elsewhere

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Bishops". Church in Wales. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
  2. ^ "Welsh Church Act – Archives Hub". archiveshub.jisc.ac.uk. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
  3. ^ Doe, Norman (5 March 2020). A New History of the Church in Wales: Governance and Ministry, Theology and Society. Cambridge University Press. p. 19. ISBN 978-1-108-49957-6.
  4. ^ "Welsh Church Act 1914".
  5. ^ Spencer, James. "Wales". www.catholiceducation.org.uk. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
  6. ^ "Churches". Archdiocese of Cardiff. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
  7. ^ "The Church". Catholic Bishops' Conference. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
  8. ^ https://cadw.gov.wales/visit/places-to-visit/earl-leicesters-church
  9. ^ https://coflein.gov.uk/en/site/100046/
  10. ^ https://dyfedarchaeology.org.uk/HLC/StDavids/StDavidstheme.htm
  11. ^ https://www.mythslegendsodditiesnorth-east-wales.co.uk/st-saeran-s-church
  12. ^ https://www.british-history.ac.uk/rchme/heref/vol1/p248
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Media related to Cathedrals in Wales at Wikimedia Commons