List of cathedrals in Wales

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[edit]

Map of the Church in Wales cathedrals

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]

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[edit]

Cardiff

Swansea

Wrexham

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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]

Name and dedication	Diocese	Established, location
Cardiff Metropolitan Cathedral Cathedral and Metropolitan Church of St David	Archdiocese of Cardiff	1916

Swansea Cathedral Cathedral Church of St Joseph	Diocese of Menevia	1987
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[edit]

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
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
N/A	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]

False Cathedrals[edit]

Several Churches in Wales have been called cathedrals by their locals even if the aren't they are the following:

Welsh Presbyterian Church, Liverpool/"Welsh Cathedral"(in England)^[13]
Christ Church, Bryn-y-Maen/"The Cathedral of the Hills"
St John's English Wesleyan Methodist Church/"Cathedral of English Wesleyan Methodism on the north Welsh Coast"
Saint Peter's Church Pontardawe/"The Cathedral of the Swansea Valley"
Tabernacle Welsh Independent Chapel/"The Cathedral of Welsh Nonconformity"
Bethesda English Baptist/"The Nonconformist Cathedral of West Wales"
Zion Congregational Church/"Cathedral of Welsh Non-Conformity"
St Peter's Church, Pentre/"Cathedral of the Rhondda
Aberdare St Elvan/"Cathedral of the Valleys"^[14]

References[edit]

^ ^a ^b "Bishops". Church in Wales. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
^ "Welsh Church Act – Archives Hub". archiveshub.jisc.ac.uk. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
^ 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.
^ "Welsh Church Act 1914".
^ Spencer, James. "Wales". www.catholiceducation.org.uk. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
^ "Churches". Archdiocese of Cardiff. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
^ "The Church". Catholic Bishops' Conference. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
^ https://cadw.gov.wales/visit/places-to-visit/earl-leicesters-church
^ https://coflein.gov.uk/en/site/100046/
^ https://dyfedarchaeology.org.uk/HLC/StDavids/StDavidstheme.htm
^ https://www.mythslegendsodditiesnorth-east-wales.co.uk/st-saeran-s-church
^ https://www.british-history.ac.uk/rchme/heref/vol1/p248
^ https://liverpoolhiddenhistory.co.uk/the-welsh-cathedral/
^ https://welshchapels.wales/search/nprn/11386

External links[edit]

Media related to Cathedrals in Wales at Wikimedia Commons

[:0-1] "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] ttps://cadw.gov.wales/visit/places-to-visit/earl-leicesters-church

[9] ttps://coflein.gov.uk/en/site/100046/

[10] ttps://dyfedarchaeology.org.uk/HLC/StDavids/StDavidstheme.htm

[11] ttps://www.mythslegendsodditiesnorth-east-wales.co.uk/st-saeran-s-church

[12] ttps://www.british-history.ac.uk/rchme/heref/vol1/p248

[13] ttps://liverpoolhiddenhistory.co.uk/the-welsh-cathedral/

[14] ttps://welshchapels.wales/search/nprn/11386

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