Newport Cathedral (Welsh; ''Eglwys Gaderiol Casnewydd''), also known as St Gwynllyw's or St Woolos' Cathedral, is the cathedral of the Diocese of Monmouth within the

Church in Wales The Church in Wales ( cy, Yr Eglwys yng Nghymru) is an Anglicanism, Anglican church in Wales, composed of six dioceses. The Archbishop of Wales does not have a fixed archiepiscopal see, but serves concurrently as one of the six diocesan bishop ...

, and the seat of the

Bishop of Monmouth The Bishop of Monmouth is the diocesan bishop of the Church in Wales Diocese of Monmouth. The episcopal see covers the historic county of Monmouthshire with the bishop's seat located at the Cathedral Church of Saint Woolos in Newport, whi ...

. Its official title is Newport Cathedral of St Woolos, King and Confessor. The name of the saint, Woolos, is an

anglicisation Anglicisation is the process by which a place or person becomes influenced by English culture or British culture, or a process of cultural and/or linguistic change in which something non-English becomes English. It can also refer to the influen ...

of the Welsh name

Gwynllyw Gwynllyw Filwr or Gwynllyw Farfog (), known in English in a corrupted form as Woolos the Warrior or Woolos the Bearded ( la, Gundleus, Gundleius or Gwenleue; 450 – 500 AD) was a Welsh king and religious figure. He was King of Gwynllwg in South ...

. It became a cathedral in 1949 and while it is the size of a large parish church rather than a typical cathedral, its history and development from the sixth to the twentieth century make it arguably one of the most interesting religious buildings in

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

St Gwynllyw

The church was founded by St Gwynllyw, who lived in the later fifth-century, after the Roman occupation, at a time when Wales was beginning to develop a national identity. Gwynllyw was the King of

Gwynllwg Gwynllŵg was a kingdom of mediaeval Wales and later a Norman lordship and then a cantref. Location It was named after Gwynllyw, its 5th century or 6th century ruler and consisted of the coastal plain stretching between the Rhymney and Usk rive ...

, an area which lay between later

Glamorgan , HQ = Cardiff , Government = Glamorgan County Council (1889–1974) , Origin= , Code = GLA , CodeName = Chapman code , Replace = * West Glamorgan * Mid Glamorgan * South Glamorgan , Motto ...

and Gwent. He was undoubtedly a real person, although miraculous events have been associated with his life and his burial place. He was alleged to have been originally a merciless warrior against adjoining kingdoms, a robber and a pirate. Later in life, he converted to Christianity, having been told in a dream to follow a white ox to the prominent hill, where he built a church, probably of wood. The shape and footprint of this original church is reflected over 1500 years later in St Mary's chapel at the west end of the cathedral. The church became his burial place (Welsh: ''eglwys y bedd)'' and in succeeding centuries was a significant place of pilgrimage. It was subject to plundering and attack including, it is said, by Irish pirates and Danes, and in 1060 by followers of Harold Godwinson, the last Anglo-Saxon king. Gwynllyw is venerated in Wales and in the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox traditions. He was the husband of St Gwladys and their son was one of the greatest of all Welsh saints and scholars, Cadoc (Cattwg in Welsh)''.''

Medieval period

After their conquest of South Wales, the Anglo-Normans built the first castle in Newport in the late eleventh century or early twelfth century, close to Gwynllyw's church, which would itself have been rebuilt by then, probably in stone.Knight, J.K.1991.Newport Castle in ''Monmouthshire Antiquary'' Vol VII, pps 17–42. A much greater transformation took place at the site in the later twelfth century when a large new church was built in the Romanesque style with round-headed arches, favoured by the Normans. Instead of building this new church directly on the original site of Gwynllyw's church, it was built to the east, but attached to it, respecting the sanctity of the original site and indicating of the strength of the cult of Gwynllyw. In the 14th century, the castle was replaced by a new castle on the bank of the

River Usk The River Usk (; cy, Afon Wysg) rises on the northern slopes of the Black Mountain (''y Mynydd Du''), Wales, in the westernmost part of the Brecon Beacons National Park. Initially forming the boundary between Carmarthenshire and Powys, it fl ...

. The town of Newport (''Casnewydd'' in Welsh, meaning 'new castle') grew near the castle and river. St Gwynllyw's church remained prominent on its hill-top in a rural location, well outside the town boundaries and its defensive gates. It retained its status as the parish church of Newport due to its prestige. In the late nineteenth century the church become surrounded by the western suburbs of Newport.

A Tour of the Cathedral

The Cathedral is usually approached from the west door, so the visitor moves from the west towards the east end, passing through the tower, then St Mary's chapel and through the Romanesque Portal to the larger church beyond and finally to the twentieth century eastern extensions.

Tower

The tower dates from the 15th century and is built in the later medieval Perpendicular style with wider and flatter arches than earlier Gothic styles. The headless statue on the outside of the third story of the tower is traditionally associated with Jasper Tudor who may have funded its construction. He had strong Welsh connections and was the uncle of Henry VII, the first king of the Tudor dynasty. Tradition also asserts that his head on the statue was shot down during the English Civil War by

Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English politician and military officer who is widely regarded as one of the most important statesmen in English history. He came to prominence during the 1639 to 1651 Wars of the Three Ki ...

’s supporters. The tower contains a ring of 13 bells, the largest ring of bells in

. Although a fine tower, it is separated from the main body of the church by St Mary's chapel. It is not certain whether there was an earlier tower on the site.

St. Mary's Chapel

To enter St Mary’s chapel, which now links the tower with the main body of the Cathedral, we pass through a modern glass screen engraved with representations of St

holding his church and of

St David Saint David ( cy, Dewi Sant; la, Davidus; ) was a Welsh bishop of Mynyw (now St Davids) during the 6th century. He is the patron saint of Wales. David was a native of Wales, and tradition has preserved a relatively large amount of detail abo ...

(Welsh: ''Dewi Sant''), the patron saint of Wales, with a dove on his shoulder. St Mary’s was the original site of

’s church, (though much restored and rebuilt in the 11th, 13th and 19th centuries) and the site of his tomb, (Welsh: ''bedd y sant''), which is believed to have been on the south side of the building. This chapel is a place to savour the established tradition of

Celtic Christianity Celtic Christianity ( kw, Kristoneth; cy, Cristnogaeth; gd, Crìosdaidheachd; gv, Credjue Creestee/Creestiaght; ga, Críostaíocht/Críostúlacht; br, Kristeniezh; gl, Cristianismo celta) is a form of Christianity that was common, or held ...

in Wales, which long predates the arrival of St Augustine to convert England. Towards the west end of the chapel is a splendid Victorian reconstruction of a Romanesque font based on a surviving fragment of the original which has been incorporated in the later work. The shaft and base of the font look medieval. Low down on the south side of the chapel, a curious medieval octagonal window has been cut into the fabric which is believed to have been relocated here in 1913 when the South Porch (now the Cathedral shop) of the main building was remodeled.

The Romanesque Portal

It is from St Mary’s chapel that we first view the chief glory of the Cathedral – the wonderful twelfth century Romanesque Portal with its characteristic zig-zag chevron motifs framing the iconic view of the main body of the Cathedral. The outer order of decoration is derived from

Gloucester Cathedral Gloucester Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Peter and the Holy and Indivisible Trinity, in Gloucester, England, stands in the north of the city near the River Severn. It originated with the establishment of a minster dedicated to S ...

, while the inner order has parallels in the

Herefordshire School The Herefordshire School is the name of a hypothetical group of master masons working in Herefordshire and Worcestershire (in England) during the 12th century. The name was coined by Polish-English scholar George Zarnecki. Their distinctive Roman ...

of Romanesque Sculpture. There are some remains of paint on parts of the portal and it was almost certainly fully painted originally. The site of the archway may well mark the site of an opening to an earlier, smaller chancel, perhaps ending in an apse, before the major extension of the church took place. The most unusual elements are the columns and capitals incorporated in the archway. The columns are definitely Roman in origin and perhaps brought from the Roman Legionary Fortress nearby at Caerleon. One theory is that they had been brought here at a rather earlier date to form part of the shrine which may have previously existed over

’s grave and subsequently relocated into the portal to lead the way into the new building. If so, they would be symbols of the power of his cult and the desire of the Anglo-Norman conquerors of Wales to associate themselves with him. The capitals are of Roman Composite type and, if they were indeed also originally Roman, they have been recut. Over generations, scholars have debated what the scenes represent. They were thought to be Biblical scenes – the

Creation Creation may refer to: Religion *''Creatio ex nihilo'', the concept that matter was created by God out of nothing * Creation myth, a religious story of the origin of the world and how people first came to inhabit it * Creationism, the belief tha ...

, Fall, Flood, Baptism of Christ, and the Trinity. Scenes from the lives of

and Cattwg have also been suggested. More recently, it has been suggested that they were intended to be understood on two levels as the scenes may have echoes both in the Bible and in the lives of the two saints honoured at this site. The style of the hair and tunics on the figures on the north (left-hand) capital echoes 4th-century Roman art which suggests that we are indeed contemplating sculpture which looks back to the very earliest phase of Christianity in Britain.

The Nave and Aisles

The nave consists of five Romanesque round arches rising from massive columnar piers on each side – a grand 12th century architectural scheme, but with rather less decoration than the Romanesque Portal we have come through. This work was carried out under the patronage of the great abbey of Gloucester, or possibly Robert, Earl of Gloucester. Above, the rounded clerestory windows would once have let in daylight, but are now internal windows since the aisles to north and south were rebuilt with higher roofs in the Perpendicular style of the 15th century, with characteristically pointed flatter and wider windows. While the principal aim here was to increase the capacity of the church, it might also have been a reaction to fire damage caused during an attack of followers of

Owain Glyndwr Owain () is a name of Welsh origin, variously written in Old Welsh as Ougein, Eugein, Euguen, Iguein, Ou(u)ein, Eug(u)ein, Yuein, and in Middle Welsh as Ewein, Owein, and Ywein. Other variants of the name Owain include Ewein, Iguein, Owein, Ouein, Y ...

in 1402, in his attempt to re-establish an independent

. Supporting this theory is a tree-ring date (

dendrochronology Dendrochronology (or tree-ring dating) is the scientific method of dating tree rings (also called growth rings) to the exact year they were formed. As well as dating them, this can give data for dendroclimatology, the study of climate and atmos ...

) of the early 15th century recently given to the fine medieval wagon roof of the nave.

The East End of the Cathedral

The earlier chancel of the Cathedral, regarded at the time as

Victorian Victorian or Victorians may refer to: 19th century * Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign ** Victorian architecture ** Victorian house ** Victorian decorative arts ** Victorian fashion ** Victorian literature ...

, or at least heavily restored by the

Victorians In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the period of Queen Victoria's reign, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. The era followed the Georgian period and preceded the Edwardian ...

, was demolished and rebuilt on a grander scale between 1960 and 1964 to provide a more cathedral-like chancel at the east end. The scheme also provided for a new chapel for the choir at the end of the south aisle, although the choir was subsequently relocated to its original place in front of the chancel, while the chapel, now dedicated to

St Luke Luke the Evangelist (Latin: '' Lucas''; grc, Λουκᾶς, '' Loukâs''; he, לוקאס, ''Lūqās''; arc, /ܠܘܩܐ לוקא, ''Lūqā’; Ge'ez: ሉቃስ'') is one of the Four Evangelists—the four traditionally ascribed authors of t ...

, is reserved for private prayer. The architect of the extensions was

Alban Caroe Alban Douglas Rendall Caroe OBE FSA FRIBA (17 April 1904 − 11 December 1991) was a British architect. Life He was the son of the architect W. D. Caröe and brother of Sir Olaf Caroe. He married Gwendolen Mary Bragg (1907–1982), daught ...

, whose distinguished family architectural partnership also undertook important work over several generations in

and elsewhere. Some regard his design as rather lacking in originality, but it does harmonise with the medieval fabric of the Cathedral and the scale of the windows provide plenty of light. More controversial aspects are provided at the east end by John Piper and Patrick Reyntiens, incorporating a round window with gold and brown stained glass and a great mural of red, white, black and grey which swirls down from the window to behind the high altar. The interpretation of this art is very much for the individual visitor. In the north wall of the chancel there is a low 13th century window relocated from the earlier chancel. Tradition asserts that this was a window for lepers to watch services (and in its original position would have been near the ground), but this purpose is not certain. In the Middle Ages, at the entrance to the chancel, there would have been a rood screen with a loft and a large life-size crucifix above dividing it from the nave. The medieval doorways to the loft can still be seen high above the south west end of the chancel and at ground-level. A modern figure of the Crucified Christ now hangs in the chancel arch, the work of Singaporean artist, Tay Swee Siong.

Monuments and Tombs

The more important monuments and tombs include: St Mary’s chapel – Several badly mutilated medieval effigies survive in the north wall recesses of the chapel. In the central recess is a sculptured panel of four weepers bearing the heraldic arms of Sir John Morgan of Tredegar, who died in 1493, a member of the Morgan family, which was influential in

South Wales South Wales ( cy, De Cymru) is a loosely defined region of Wales bordered by England to the east and mid Wales to the north. Generally considered to include the historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire, south Wales extends westwards ...

for centuries right up to the 20th century. He was rewarded with important local positions for supporting the seizure of the English crown by Henry Tudor in 1485. West end of south aisle – The tomb of Sir Walter Herbert, (died 1568). Not much of the effigy remains, but the tomb as a whole demonstrates fine Renaissance work. East end of north aisle, (Crindau Chapel) – Memorial brass to Octavius Morgan MP FSA (1803–1885), distinguished Welsh historian and antiquarian and of the family of Sir John Morgan above. He took a great interest in the history of St Woolos. His house, The Friars, is in the parish of St Woolos. A nearby stained glass window features the arms of the Morgan family and of the Dioceses of Gloucester and Llandaff which had rights over St Woolos before the Diocese of

Monmouth Monmouth ( , ; cy, Trefynwy meaning "town on the Monnow") is a town and community in Wales. It is situated where the River Monnow joins the River Wye, from the Wales–England border. Monmouth is northeast of Cardiff, and west of London. I ...

was created. Niche in the last column of the nave, south arcade– Statue of

holding up his church in memory of Noel Morris, who died in 1967 and was the son of Edwin Morris, a former Archbishop of Wales. While there has been speculation that the sculpture may be by Elizabeth Frinck, no artistic or documentary evidence for this has yet come to light.

Stained Glass

Apart from two abstract 20th century windows by

Frank Roper Frank Roper may refer to: * Frank Roper (artist) (1914–2000), British sculptor and stained-glass artist * Frank Roper (paedophile) (died 2005), former youth coach, English football league {{hndis, Roper, Frank ...

in the north side of St Mary's Chapel, the glass is

and Edwardian. Some windows have had their decorative backgrounds removed. Several are by John Hardman and Co, including the Good Samaritan in the south wall of the south aisle and Christ blessing Children in the west wall of the north aisle. as well as the window of

Gwladys Saint Gwladys ferch Brychan () or St Gladys ( la, Gladusa), daughter of King Brychan of Brycheiniog, was the queen of the saint-king Gwynllyw Milwr and the mother of Cadoc "the Wise", whose ''Vita'' may be the earliest saint's life to mention ...

and Cattwg illustrated above.

Music in the Cathedral

There is a long tradition of choral singing at the Cathedral and music forms an important part in its life. The Cathedral choir consists of three separate groups of singers: boys and girl choristers and adults, providing alto, tenor and bass parts. The choir sings at Sunday services and at Evensong on a Wednesday, as well as at other special services. The repertoire ranges from the 17th century to the 21st century. The Cathedral is also a popular venue for musical and other artistic performances. The Cathedral Organ was rebuilt in 1966 by

Hill, Norman and Beard William Hill & Son & Norman & Beard Limited (commonly known as Hill, Norman and Beard) were a major pipe organ manufacturer originally based in Norfolk. History They were founded in 1916 by the merger of Norman and Beard and William Hill & Sons ...

, incorporating elements from two organs: one the earlier organ in the Cathedral, built by Griffin and Stroud in 1915, and the other an organ built by Hill which was salvaged from the demolished Newport Old Town Hall. This 1966 organ was rebuilt in 1997 by Nicholson of Worcester. The Organist and Choirmaster is Dr Emma Gibbins, who was appointed in 2015.

Memorial to those shot during the Chartist uprising, 1839

During the Chartist Uprising in favour of democratic rights which centred on Newport on 4 November 1839, at least 22 people were shot by a party of the 45th Regiment of Foot in front of the

Westgate Hotel The Westgate Hotel, Commercial Street, Newport, Wales is a hotel building dating from the 19th century. On 4 November 1839 the hotel saw the major scenes of the Newport Rising, when 3,000 Chartists, some of them armed, led by John Frost marche ...

. Many of these would have walked past the Cathedral on their way to the town centre. A memorial outside the Cathedral to the left of the lychgate commemorates ten of these who were buried in unmarked graves in St. Woolos churchyard. A sculpture of a large pair of 19th century workman’s boots is placed inside the lychgate to the Cathedral to commemorate the march of the Chartists.

Timeline

* by 500:

builds original church * c. 500:

buried * c 1000 Church replaced with a stone structure * c. 1050: Attacked by Irish pirates * 12th century: Anglo-Normans build nave and archway * c. 1200: St Mary's chapel substantially remodelled * 1402: Damaged by followers of

* 15th century: Tower and aisles built * c 1650: Monuments damaged by Puritans * 1819: St Mary's chapel restored * 1853: Full restoration * 1854: The new

St Woolos Cemetery St Woolos Cemetery (officially named Newport and St Woolos new Cemetery) is the main cemetery in the city of Newport, Wales situated one mile to the west of the Church in Wales cathedral known by the same name. It contains four chapels, and vari ...

opens 1 mile to the west of the cathedral * 1869: Last burials in the old graveyard in the cathedral ground * 1913: Full restoration and re-roofing. * 1922: Designated pro-Cathedral of the Diocese of

* 1949: Full Cathedral status * 1960-4: Chancel replaced on grander scale to designs by

* 1987: Choir Chapel refurbished as

’s Chapel * 1997: Renovation of organ * 2006: Pews removed to provide flexibility of use and sense of space and architecture * 2011: Roof renovation

Deans of Monmouth

* 1931–1946 (ret.): John Phillips * 1946–17 March 1952 (d.): Joseph Davies * 1952–1953 (res.):

John Lloyd Thomas John Roland Lloyd Thomas (22 February 1908 – 11 April 1984) was an Anglican priest and the Principal of St David's University College from 1953 to 1975. He was, himself, a graduate of St David's College, gaining a BA from the institution before ...

* 1953–1975 (ret.):

Ellis Evans David Ellis Evans FBA (23 September 1930 – 26 September 2013) was a Welsh scholar and academic. He was born in the Tywy Valley in Carmarthenshire and went to Llandeilo Grammar School. After studying at Jesus College, Oxford and receivin ...

* 1976–1990 (ret.): Frank Jenkins * 1990–1996 (ret.):

Gareth Lewis David Gareth Lewis (13 August 1931 – 27 May 1997 was an Anglican priest in the second half of the twentieth century. Lewis was educated at Cyfarthfa Grammar School, Bangor University, Oriel College, Oxford and St Michael's College, Llandaff ...

* March 1997 – May 2011 (res.): Richard Fenwick * 10 September–21 November 2011 (d.): Jeremy Winston * 31 March 2012–2018: Lister Tonge

Deans of Newport

In 2018, the title of the post was changed to Dean of Newport. *''2018''–2020: Lister Tonge *22 May 2021present: Ian Black

Notes

References

External links

Church in Wales: Newport CathedralNewport Cathedral WebsiteArtwork at Newport Cathedral
{{Coord, 51, 34, 59, N, 2, 59, 55, W, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title Anglican cathedrals in Wales Grade I listed cathedrals in Wales Grade I listed churches in Newport, Wales Culture in Newport, Wales Tourist attractions in Newport, Wales Landmarks in Newport, Wales History of Newport, Wales 11th-century church buildings in Wales Deans of Monmouth