St. David's Cathedral

The origin of the complex lies in the 6th century, when Saint David founded his monastery here. The monastery was expanded over decades and centuries, buildings were restored or newly built. The site suffered from Viking raids for a long time. In 1151 the last Celtic bishop died and under his Norman successor the monks had to submit to the Archbishop of Canterbury. William the Conqueror had visited the monastery and the shrine with the bones of St David in 1081 - but probably more for political motives. The present cathedral dates from 1182, and the ruins of the former 14th century bishop's palace can be seen next to the church building. The tradition of pilgrimage to St David's Cathedral is still practised today. The cathedral is the last major church in the Norman style, partly because St. Davids was architecturally far behind its time. Thanks to the cathedral, the small town of St. Davids was granted town status and is the smallest town in Britain with just around 1800 inhabitants.