WELCOME TO
ST ASAPH CATHEDRAL
WALES
PAUL SCOTT
SATELLITE VIEW
St Asaph Cathedral sits at the corner of High Street and Upper Denbigh Road. The satellite view shows that the main axis of the Cathedral is about 30° off due geographical east – west. We shall use liturgical directions on this site, for example using East (with a capital E) to denote the sanctaury end; the difference between geographical and liturgical directions is small enough not to cause confusion.
We notice that the Cathedral is cruciform in shape with a massive square central tower. The nave has covered side aisles, and the Cathedral is linked to a rectangular building in the Southeast where a café and toilets are located.
The Cathedral sits in a lovely grassy park with large trees. There is a collection of old graves to the Southwest, and a monument on the North side near the High Street.
In our exploration of the Cathedral, we shall start at the High Street entrance, and walk around the Cathedral in a clockwise direction, before entering through the West door.
Our exploration of the interior is indicated by the red lines. Beginning at the West door (bottom) we first take the branch to the left before retracing our steps to follow the right branch through to the South transept, chancel and sanctuary. My visit was complicated due to a seminar being held in the nave at the time.
A brief history of the Cathedral is given below, but if you wish to start the tour, click / tap on START.
You can access intermediate points in the tour by a tap / click on the following links:
NOTE ON MAGNIFYING IMAGES
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and use Command - + (Mac) or Windows - + (Windows).
HISTORY
[Wikipedia]
Patron Saints
Saints Asaph and Kentigern (Welsh Cyndeyrn) are the patron saints of St Asaph Cathedral. Asaph (also called Asa) was the first bishop of Asaph in Wales. He is believed to have lived in a hemitage near Tenegel, near Holywell. He is also described in a life of St. Kentigern, or Mungo. While still young, Asaph served Kentigern. Asked to bring Kentigern a piece of wood for the fire, Asaph brought live coals in his apron, an event that alerted Kentigern to Asaph’s sanctity. There is a legend about St Kenntigern (or was it St Asaph?!) concerning a fish. It is said that Queen Languoreth of Strathclyde who was suspected of infidelity by her husband. King Riderch demanded to see her ring, which he claimed she had given to her lover. In reality the King had thrown it into the River Clyde. Faced with execution she appealed for help to Kentigern, who ordered a messenger to catch a fish in the river. On opening the fish, the ring was miraculously found inside, which allowed the Queen to clear her name. • When Kentigern left the area in 573, Asaph was consecrated a bishop. Asaph’s relatives, Deiniol, Tysilo, and others were also honored as saints.
The Cathedral
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. An Anglican church, 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. It is sometimes claimed to be the smallest Anglican Cathedral in Great Britain.
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 King Edward I in 1282. The rebellion of Owain Glynduresulted 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. It was reported that the cause of the damage was by a subterranean stream. The Cathedral made the papers again when work was approaching completion in 1935.
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 – 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. The choir continues to serve under a volunteer conductor while longer-term arrangements are put in place, though members of the congregation have expressed concern at the changes.
