49980 - a photo on Flickriver

49980

St David's Cathedral (in Welsh Eglwys Gadeiriol Tyddewi) situated in St Davids the smallest City in Britain in the county of Pembrokeshire, Wales.

The Cathedral stands on the site of a 6th-century monastery founded by Dewi (David), a Celtic Christian monk, who later became St David the Patron Saint of Wales. Due to the relics of St David, the cathedral was a major pilgrimage destination throughout the Middle Ages.

In the 6th Century St David was reputedly born on a cliff top on the South-West Wales coast during a fierce storm. The site of David’s birth is marked by the ruin of a tiny ancient chapel close to a holy well and the more recent 18th century chapel dedicated to his mother can still be seen near St. David’s Cathedral.

The Celtic saint soon became famous for his learned preaching, devotion to God, and extreme asceticism (he ate only bread and herbs, drank only water, and regularly stood in cold water for long periods). He was nicknamed Dewi Ddyfrwr, David the Water Drinker.

Many legends have circulated about David, including one alleging that King Arthur was his uncle and that among the "prophecies of Merlin" was a prediction that St David would found a bishopric in Wales. In another legend, St. Gildas foretold David's birth when a pregnant woman came into the church as he was preaching. He was struck dumb, and on regaining his power of speech, predicted that she would give birth to a son "with a greater proportion of the divine spirit than has ever fallen to the share of a preacher."

Life in the monastic community that formed under David's leadership was a simple one of prayer, study, and hard labor. Soon a bishopric was established at the site (according to tradition, David was the first bishop), making the monastic church a cathedral. In the centuries that followed, St. David's Cathedral suffered more than a dozen attacks by Vikings and other marauders.

In 1081, William the Conqueror visited St Davids to pray and, probably, to explore its strategic benefits due to its proximity to Ireland. The cathedral was safe under Norman rule, but at the cost of its original Welsh character. The Normans regarded their own form of Christianity as superior to the Celtic way, and soon set out to reform it. This was probably the motivation behind the Latin Life of David written by a bishop's son in 1090, which reports that David visited Jerusalem and was consecrated bishop by the patriarc.

Information Sources:
www.britainexpress.com/attractions.htm?attraction=530
www.historic-uk.com/HistoryMagazine/DestinationsUK/St-Dav...

Taken in: UK / Wales / St. David's and the Cathedral Close / St Davids (show map)

Taken on: June 24, 2017

Tags:

Wales

Welsh

South Wales

United Kingdom

Great Britain

Britain

British

Pembrokeshire

St David's

St David's Cathedral

Church

Chapel

worship

Religion

Cathedral

Christ

Christian

Christianity

Eglwys Gadeiriol Tyddewi

Church in Wales

Medieval

masons

John Nash

George Gilbert Scott

Romanesque architecture

English Gothic architecture

Dewi

St Dewi

Patron Saint of Wales

King Arthur

Arthurian « less

Sets appears in: • St Davids • Pembrokeshire more » • Wales « less

Groups appears in: • Pembrokeshire • Unlimited! more » • Pembrokeshire Photographers • I Will Photograph Anything...Will You ? • Flickr Photo Album Unlimited & Instant Posting « less

Camera: Nikon D7100, f/4.0, 1/50 sec, 25mm (=37mm), ISO 800 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Nikon D7100
Lens:	18.0-105.0 mm f/3.5-5.6
Aperture:	f/4.0
Exposure Time:	0.02 sec (1/50)
Focal Length:	25mm (35mm equivalent: 37mm)
ISO:	800
Exposure Bias:	+0.171 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Not Defined
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Gain Control:	Low gain up
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	Adobe Lightroom 7.1.2 (Windows)
Show full info

Stats: 216 views

go back

Link to this photo view:
Link to this photo large view: