| Cardiff Metropolitan Cathedral | |
| Cardiff Metropolitan Cathedral of St David | |
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Cardiff Metropolitan Cathedral
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| Location | Cardiff |
| Country | Wales |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Website | cardiffmetropolitan cathedral.org.uk |
| History | |
| Consecrated | 1842 |
| Years built | 1839-1842 |
| Specifications | |
| Number of spires | 1 |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | Cardiff (since 1916) |
| Province | Cardiff |
| Clergy | |
| Bishop(s) | George Stack |
| Dean | Peter Gwilym Collins |
| Laity | |
| Director of music | David Neville |
The Metropolitan Cathedral Church of St David, also known as St David's Cathedral Cardiff is a Roman Catholic cathedral in the city centre of Cardiff, Wales and is the centre of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cardiff. Located in Charles Street, the Cathedral remains the focal point for Catholic life in Cardiff, and the country as a whole. It is one of only three Roman Catholic Cathedrals in the UK which is associated with a choir school.
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Following the arrival of 12,000 Catholics fleeing famine in Ireland in the 1840s and more immigration thereafter, a Catholic church was built in Cardiff. The original church was built at a cost of £2,124 in 1842, after fundraising in Wales and Ireland and a donation by Lady Catherine Eyre of Bath.[1] The church was located on David Street, Cardiff and was dedicated to the patron saint of Wales, St David, at the request of Lady Eyre.[1]
The current building was designed by Pugin and Pugin Architects and constructed 1884-87.[2] It was Cardiff's principal Catholic church, and it became seat of the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Cardiff in 1916. In 1920 it was declared the Cathedral Church of the new Archdiocese of Cardiff.[1]
The Cathedral was destroyed by World War II bombing in March 1941 when incendiary bombs pierced the roof.[1] During the 1950's it was restored and rebuilt, under the supervision of F. R. Bates, Son, and Price and was re-opened in March 1959.[2]
Adjoining the cathedral is the Cardiff branch of the Catholic Truth Society, where liturgical items including prayer books, candles and statues of catholic saints can be purchased.
The Dean (Administrator) of the Cathedral is the Very Rev. Canon Peter Collins. As well as Canon Collins the Cathedral is the residence of the Rev. Fr. Raymond O'Shea.
Sunday Masses:
Holy Days:
The Cardiff Metropolitan Cathedral has three choirs. The Boys' Choir was established in 1959, and in recent years two more choirs have been formed: The Junior Girls' Choir and The Senior Girls' Choir.
The Boy Choristers and Girl Choristers of Wales's National Roman Catholic Cathedral - the Cardiff Metropolitan Cathedral of St David - are educated at the Choir School St John’s College, located in Old St Mellons, Cardiff. During term, the Boy Choristers sing with adult male voices on Sunday mornings and at 5pm Vespers on Tuesdays, and at a small number of additional services, on special feast days and at Christmas and Easter.
The Cathedral Choirs give two concerts in St David’s Hall each year, and also performs further afield, in some of the most beautiful venues in Western Europe. Recent trips have included performances at Nôtre Dame in Paris, in Bruges, Denmark, and at the splendid Gothic Cathedral in Amiens.
In February 2011, the Cathedral Choir travelled to Paris to perform concerts at the Madeleine and at Nôtre Dame Cathedral (to an audience of more than 1000 people). In 2009, the boy & girl Cathedral Choristers appeared and sang in the 'Christmas Special' of BBC’s Doctor Who with David Tennant, Bernard Cribbins & Claire Bloom. The episode was aired Christmas 2009, and was David Tennant’s last. In Autumn 2006, the choir undertook a choral exchange project with the Choir of St Bavo's in Haarlem (The Netherlands). The Junior Girls Cathedral Choir sings Benediction at the Cathedral on Wednesdays, and the Senior Girls Cathedral Choir join the Boys Cathedral Choir on special feast days and in concert. The choirs can be heard in live broadcasts, on BBC Radio 4, and BBC Radio Wales, and extracts from their recordings can be downloaded from their website. [1]
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