Cardiff Metropolitan Cathedral of St David

A church rebuilt

The present building went up between 1884 and 1887, replacing an earlier St David's church of 1842. It became the seat of the Archbishop of Cardiff in 1916 and was declared the cathedral of the new archdiocese in 1920. In March 1941 incendiary bombs pierced the roof and destroyed it; it was rebuilt in the 1950s and reopened in March 1959.

Music and worship

This is a working cathedral with daily Mass, and its Metropolitan Cathedral Choir sings at the main liturgies and gives concerts. The choir school is run with St John's College Cardiff. Services are also streamed on the cathedral's YouTube channel if you want a sense of it before you go.

Visiting

The cathedral sits just off Queen Street and close to St David's shopping centre, so it is easy to step in for a quiet ten minutes. Visitors are welcome outside service times; be respectful during Mass. Coffee Spot and several pubs, including Porter's, are close by for afterwards. Concerts by the cathedral choir and visiting musicians are held through the year, so check the newsletter if you would like to hear the building at its best. Weekday lunchtime Mass is a reminder that this is still a working parish church at heart, not just a monument.

Highlights

• Catholic cathedral for South Wales and Herefordshire
• Gothic Revival building by Pugin and Pugin, 1884 to 1887
• Destroyed in 1941 and reopened in 1959
• Cathedral choir and concerts
• Central, just off Queen Street

Good to know

• It is an active place of worship; Mass times change for events, so check the cathedral newsletter.
• Services are streamed live on the cathedral's YouTube channel.
• Contact: 029 2023 1407 or cathedral@rcadc.org.

Frequently asked questions