St Asaph's Cathedral, St Asaph/Llanelwy

Both the Welsh Cistercian Way and the North Wales Pilgrims Way take modern pilgrims through the little city of St Asaph and its cathedral

Highlights

• Celtic monastic community
• Home of St Kentigern and St Asaph

A multitude of early saints gathered and worked here by the River Elwy in the 6th century. St Kentigern founded a monastery in 560, and St Asaph took over as abbot when he returned to Scotland in 573. The cathedral is named after this second abbot, a holy man who performed many miracles during his lifetime. The third abbot was also canonised, St Tyssilio.

With three saints guiding its early years, it is unsurprising that the monastery grew rapidly into a community of nearly 1,000 monks. It later became a cathedral and a major centre of pilgrimage. St Asaph was buried here after his death on 1 May in the year 601.

Unusually for a Welsh cathedral, there is no shrine in honour of its patron saint. Given that he lies buried here, it is a surprising absence, a stained glass window of St Asaph and St Kentigern in the north aisle offering the only visible reminder. The welcomers said there was no trace left of St Asaph’s tomb, a shrine that once brought pilgrims in great numbers.

An alternative site to remember the early saints is the nearby River Elwy, although there is little chance of reviving St Kentigern’s ritual here. He would stand naked in its waters to recite his psalms, a common practice among early saints. At the winter solstice one year, according to his biographer Jocelyn, he performed this devotion in a frozen landscape without any ill effect from the cold. Later, when he had dried and dressed, he was afflicted by a severe attack of shivering, demonstrating that spiritual rather than physical energy had kept him warm. A candlestand to him in the cathedral would be an easier way to encourage ritual action in the great man’s memory.

The cathedral building today mostly dates from the 13th century. It has a peaceful and contemplative feeling and displays one ancient piece of devotional art alongside some thought-provoking modern pieces, a Madonna from 16th-century Spain in the south transept.

There is a monument just north of the cathedral by the road, commemorating the translators who rendered the Bible into Welsh, under the guidance of Bishop William Morgan in the 16th century, whose grave lies beneath the bishop’s throne. The cathedral has an interesting exhibition about the history of this and other translations, including a copy of the first Welsh language Bible.

Directions

St Asaph’s Cathedral, High Street, St Asaph LL17 0RD

http://www.stasaphcathedral.wales

W3W: expansion.picnic.often

GPS: 53.2570N 3.4424W

St Asaph was formally declared a city in 2012. The cathedral is in the rather compact city centre, on the corner of High Street and Upper Denbigh Road, both of which are part of the A525. The cathedral is open every day.