Saint David’s

Saint David’s, cathedral city, historic and present county of Pembrokeshire, southwestern Wales. It lies within Pembrokeshire Coast National Park in the River Alun valley near the tip of Saint David’s Head peninsula (the westernmost point in Wales).

Situated in an area important for Celtic Christianity, St. David’s Cathedral became a medieval pilgrimage centre of considerable significance. The main portion of the present cathedral was built in the late 12th century in the transitional Norman style, but many additions were made to it over the next 350 years, and periodic repairs were necessitated following damage during the Reformation and the English Civil Wars (mid-17th century). Extensive restoration of the building occurred in the 19th century. St. David’s is the largest cathedral in Wales. Nearby are the ruins of the College of St. Mary (founded c. 1377) and of the early 14th-century bishop’s palace. St. David’s city—the smallest city in Great Britain and actually no larger than a village—consists largely of four streets that meet in Cross Square, the ancient marketplace. Pop. (2001) 1,797; (2011) 1,841.