# St Asaph Cathedral

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Cathedral in Denbighshire, Wales

Church in Denbighshire, Wales

Saint Asaph Cathedral Cathedral Church of Saints Asaph and Cyndeyrn Eglwys Gadeiriol Llanelwy St Asaph Cathedral from the north-west Saint Asaph Cathedral 53°15′26″N 3°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 Website https://stasaphcathedral.wales/en Architecture Style Romanesque architecture, English Gothic architecture Completed Mid-13th century Administration Diocese St Asaph Clergy Bishop Gregory Cameron Dean Nigel Williams

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

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

## History

A church was originally built on or near the site by [Saint Kentigern](/source/Saint_Kentigern) in the 6th century (other sources say Saint Elwy in 560). [Saint Asa (or Asaph)](/source/Saint_Asaph), a grandson of [Pabo Post Prydain](/source/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](/source/Edward_I_of_England) during the Second Welsh War in 1282. Indeed, there had been plans, following the First Welsh War (1277) to relocate the church to [Rhuddlan](/source/Rhuddlan), plans supported by [Bishop Anian](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bishop_Anian&action=edit&redlink=1) (Einion I). However these plans came to nought following the war of 1282, as [Conwy](/source/Conwy) and [Caernarfon](/source/Caernarfon) were considered to be the new centres of administration.[2]

The rebellion of [Owain Glyndŵr](/source/Owain_Glynd%C5%B5r) 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](/source/Henry_VII_of_England) and greatly [restored](/source/Victorian_restoration) in the 19th century.

The cathedral made the national press in 1930 when the tower became subject to significant [subsidence](/source/Subsidence) and the cathedral architect [Charles Marriott Oldrid Scott](/source/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](/source/Geoffrey_of_Monmouth) served as [Bishop of St Asaph](/source/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](/source/William_Morgan_(Bible_translator)) (1545 – 10 September 1604) was also Bishop of St Asaph and of [Llandaff](/source/Bishop_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](/source/A._G._Edwards_(bishop)) 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 re-established 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

See also: [List of musicians at Welsh cathedrals](/source/List_of_musicians_at_Welsh_cathedrals)

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

## Burials

- [John Owen (bishop of St Asaph)](/source/John_Owen_(bishop_of_St_Asaph)), [Bishop of St Asaph](/source/Bishop_of_St_Asaph) (1629 to 1651)

- [Isaac Barrow (bishop)](/source/Isaac_Barrow_(bishop)), Bishop of St Asaph (1669–1680)—buried in the Cathedral churchyard

- [William Mathias](/source/William_Mathias) (1934–1992), composer, born in [Whitland](/source/Whitland), [Carmarthenshire](/source/Carmarthenshire).

- [William Carey (bishop)](/source/William_Carey_(bishop)), Bishop of St Asaph (1830–1846)—buried in the Cathedral churchyard

- [Joshua Hughes](/source/Joshua_Hughes_(bishop)), Bishop of St Asaph (1870–1889)

- [A. G. Edwards](/source/A._G._Edwards_(bishop)), Bishop of St Asaph (1889–1934) and first [Archbishop of Wales](/source/Archbishop_of_Wales)

## See also

- [List of deans of St Asaph](/source/List_of_deans_of_St_Asaph)—chronological list

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** ["St Asaph in north Wales named Diamond Jubilee city"](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-north-east-wales-17365580). *BBC News*. 14 March 2012.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** A.J. Taylor, ‘Rhuddlan cathedral: a ‘might-have-been’ of Flintshire history’, Flintshire Historical Society Publications 15 (1954-5)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** *The Times*, Saturday April 5, 1930; pg. 11; Issue 45480; col E

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** *The Times*, Saturday April 19, 1930; pg. 12; Issue 45491; col B.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** *The Times*, Saturday September 6, 1930; pg. 12; Issue 45611; col D

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** *The Times*, Wednesday September 18, 1935; pg. 13; Issue 47172; col E

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-finance_7-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-finance_7-1) ["Cathedral makes music team redundant"](https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-45323546). *BBC News*. 27 August 2018. Retrieved 19 September 2018.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** ["The National Pipe Organ Register - NPOR"](http://www.npor.org.uk/cgi-bin/Rsearch.cgi?Fn=Rsearch&rec_index=D08459).

## External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to [St Asaph Cathedral](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:St_Asaph_Cathedral).

- [St Asaph Cathedral website](https://stasaphcathedral.wales)

- [Artwork at St Asaph Cathedral](http://imagingthebible.llgc.org.uk//site/90)

v t e Cathedrals of the Church in Wales Bangor Brecon Llandaff Newport St Asaph St David's

Authority control databases International VIAF GND WorldCat National United States Other Kulturenvanteri monument Yale LUX

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [St Asaph Cathedral](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Asaph_Cathedral) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Asaph_Cathedral?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.