The Pilgrim’s Way to Britain’s Great Cathedrals | Episode 3

David Suchet goes us on a pilgrimage through England and Wales, visiting many of Britain’s great cathedrals. Along the way, he explores some of the old and well-worn pilgrim routes and a few of the newer ones.

[Music] when we hear the words Pilgrim and pilgrimage it’s likely that we immediately think of the ancient tradition of embarking on long and perilous Journeys in search of Miracles healing or some tangible confirmation of religious beliefs in medieval times pilgrimage was a common part of Christian practice it’s been continuous since not long after the death of Jesus Christ right up to today and the destination was very often one of the great Cathedrals that by the 12th and 13th centuries were all over Western Europe and across Great Britain established as the unmissable focal points of Christian communities and [Music] worship Through the Ages Cathedrals and pilgrimage have had a very close relationship and it’s a tradition that’s enjoying a remarkable Revival today as people again feel compelled to take to the road in search of spiritual soless or reassurance a pilgrimage can still today be a lifechanging experience [Music] hello I’m David sushe and this beautifully preserved street is known as the vica’s close here at Wells Cathedral the close is the oldest residential street in Europe and has been home to the Vicar’s Coral at Wells since the middle of the 14th century it’s a reminder that Britain’s great Cathedrals are at the very heart of the local community over the centuries many thousands of pilgrims and visitors have been welcomed by Cathedrals such as Wells often on long and perilous Journeys in search of Miracles healing or some tangible confirmation of their religious beliefs welcome to the Pilgrim’s way to Britain’s great cathedrals in these programs we’re visiting many of the Great cathedrals of England and Wales exploring their long links to pilgrimage and how the highs and lows of history have shaped what we can see [Music] today I’m going to delve into the fascinating history of these remarkable buildings and the even more remarkable stories of the Saints and Bishops who were in many cases the original inspiration for both the journey and the [Music] destination along the way I’ll also be exploring some of the ancient Pilgrim roots and also a few of the newer ones which have being created specifically to cater for the increasing number of modern-day Travelers many of these people begin their Journeys simply as curious tourists but their experiences along the way have proved compelling enough to make them pilgrims by their Journey’s [Music] End in this program our journey starts at tub’s norer Abbey the church that at one time was purchased by its own parishioners to ensure its survival we’ll be finishing our pilgrimage on the western tip of Wales where St David established a monastic Community sometime in the middle of the 6th Century Saints shrines and miracles were the impetus for pilgrimage during the Middle Ages and these churches would have continuously thronged with excited visitors attracted by the wondrous stories of healing and Rejuvenation the 6th Century in England and Wales was known as the age of the Saints Christianity was becoming more widely established although it had existed in small Pockets long before this missionaries arrived from both Ireland and Rome establishing monastic communities which had a church and a community at their heart after the Norman conquests these Anglo-Saxon churches gave way to larger and grander abies and Cathedrals which thrived and grew as centers of pilgrimage for centuries it all came to an end after Henry VII’s acrimonious split with the Church of Rome which resulted in the dissolution of the monasteries and the implementation of protestant reforms which banned shrines and any type of iconography no English or Welsh Cathedral escaped The Purge unscathed and some didn’t survive at all such as the abies at glastenbury and Tin turn which remain today only as ruins once as magnificent as any of the great churches Still Standing today tin turn Abbey remains as a sobering Legacy of the dissolution which not only destroyed buildings but also communities fortunately most of Britain’s Cathedrals have withstood all the tests of time and today continue to be an active part of their communities while also providing a tangible link with many many centuries of [Music] History [Music] to tub’s Splendid abbey church is a place with soul and its guide book quotes the poet TS Elliot from his poem the four quartets describing the essence of the Abbey you are here to kneel where prayer has been valid it’s perhaps fitting that a church once rescued by its parishioners should now be so focused on a key aspect of why it was built in the first place for prayerful contemplation and consideration in the wonderful Serenity of tub’s towering Norman Nave you do indeed feel compelled to kneel in thankful [Music] prayer tuxbury Abbey would almost certainly have ended up a ruin like tinter but for the determined intervention of its Town folk who petitioned Henry VII’s rampaging Commissioners to buy the church building arriving in January 1540 they had already stripped the interior of its many valuables the list apparently running to 74 sheets of parchment and had condemned the church as being Superfluous once one of the wealthiest abies in England tuxbury was now considered worthless but nevertheless a sale price was agreed of £483 deemed to be the value of the lead on the roof and the metal in the bells the king’s Commissioners graciously gave them 2 years to pay it off there no doubt ensued some frantic fundraising but the foresight of tsb’s residence has rewarded us today with a beautiful well-preserved normana Abbey in the Romanesque style with its distinctive rounded arches these are particularly evident on the west Frontage with its six recessed arches the tallest in any English church and on the inside a top the massive Columns of the wide and Airy Nave there are 14 of them in all each a massive 2 m in diameter and over 9 M tall prior to the Reformation they would have been richly decorated as would the walls and ceilings medieval churches in England were a riot of color and imagery although it’s a lot pler inside today the Abbey would still look familiar to its 13th and 14th century worshippers as little has changed structurally seven stained glass windows in the choir still have their original 14th Century Glass and not surprisingly they’re now considered one of the church’s greatest treasures today the Beautiful Gardens and greens surrounding tuxbury Abbey are riddled with Open Access walkways and paths encouraging locals and passes by to take in the aby’s Grandeur and view as they make their way through to town tuxbury aby’s Origins and around 400 years of subsequent Prosperity were mainly due to the patronage of some very wealthy medieval English families finishing when they ran out of AES this patronage contributed to the particularly Splendid choir and chancel the replacement of the original wooden Nave ceiling with ribbed stone and the addition of Chantry chapels dedicated to the more distinguished family members the greatest benefactors also earned themselves a burial place within the Abbey and tuxbury consequently boasts quite a collection of tombs of the Great and The Good The Abbey is unusual in that it didn’t have to rely on the offerings of pilgrims for its income nor in fact did it ever have a Saint’s Shrine however it did possess a number of holy relics which were brought out on special days and miracles were recorded in 1471 during the War of the Roses the lancastrian cause led by the claimant of the throne Edward Prince of Wales began to lose steam pursued by the yorkists the weary lancastrian Army were finally overtaken in The Meadows just outside of tuxbury in what would be one of the most decisive battles in the conflict when Edward Prince of Wales was killed on the battlefield the bloodline ended here in tuxbury and he was buried in the Abbey the exact location of Prince Edward’s body within the Abbey is unknown however a brass plark stands upon the floor between the choir stools and reads here lies Edward Prince of Wales cruy slain whilst but a youth anod domini 1471 May 4th alas the savagery of men Thou Art the sole light of thy mother and the Last Hope of thy race nevertheless neither Saints nor royalty are ultimately responsible for the fact that this remarkable Abbey can still be visited today thanks to a group of mostly ordinary people who were willing to pay a high price to ensure its [Music] survival [Music] and to [Music] be [Music] Worcester Cathedral is a celebration of many things its idilic setting its classical architecture its turbulent history its glorious interior and its long association with music inside wer resonates with the triumphs and tragedies of those who have been coming here for close to 700 years from the hum humblest Pilgrim to the ruler of the land it was and still is a church for all people and as you sit quietly here there is a sense of also being part of something very significant and deeply spiritual for over 500 years there were two very compelling reasons for pilgrims to make the journey to Worcester Cathedral the shrines of St Oswald and St wolston situated on a wide Bend of the river 7 with green and pleasant grounds and a view Across The Meadows to the Glorious mven Hills Worcester Cathedral can boast one of the prettiest settings in England and certainly one of the most quintessentially English it’s also one of the most quintessential of English Cathedrals too very much typifying the history of building and rebuilding from Norman Origins and through the three main phases of the Gothic architecture Al style early English decorated and perpendicular by this time the twin shrines of Oswald and wolston were attracting pilgrims to Worcester cathedral in huge numbers these even included royalty Henry II and his wife Elanor of aquatan visited in 1158 in reverence they placed their crowns on wolston Shrine vowing to never wear them again their son who became king John was such a devotee that he demanded he be buried between the two shrines which is exactly what happened still situated in the cathedral’s choir King John’s tomb is topped with an effigy which depicts him flanked by tiny representations of Oswald and wolston Cathedrals were very much places of the people as well and there’s a powerful reminder of this with the Worcester Pilgrim whose remains were discovered during the last restoration buried near the choir thought to be from the 15th century the skeleton still had fragments of knitted clothes and leather boots along with the remains of a pilgrim staff and a cockal shell an indication that this person had also undertaken the pilgrimage to the shrine of St James at compostella in Spain the Pilgrim’s body remains where it was found but the relics are on display in the cathedral’s Crypt and although simple items they provide a compelling link with pilgrimage past and present Worcester Crypt also provides a link with st wil’s Norman church and is a gloriously atmospheric space with its rounded Romanesque arches dating from the 11th century today Worcester Cathedral is again a destination for pilgrimage with a recently established route which commences a great mall and the spring which has been known for its healing properties since Medieval Times the devoted Pilgrim visiting Worcester Cathedral would likely have been convinced to keep heading a little further west and visit harford’s Cathedral with its Shrine to St Thomas of Herford it’s a journey of a little over 25 miles but it passes through some of the most beautiful country side in England the mulvin hills now designated as an area of outstanding natural [Music] beauty a recent pilgrimage initiative with a difference was undertaken taken VI a bike run between Britain’s Cathedrals exitor cathedral in the county of Devon participated in this Nationwide event in June I took part in the cathedral’s cycle route the whole route’s about 2,000 miles long and it connects all of the Anglican cathedrals in England we just did one leg of it quite a long leg 108 mil from here in exitor to Truro which is the most southernly and most southwesterly cathedral in England six of us did the route and it was great being on the roads together we were taking it reasonably slowly we were taking quiet back roads we were able to talk to one another on the way and really feel the connection with the landscape and then of course we got to Truro which is this wonderful wonderful Cathedral City and we were given a warm welcome there and we were able to join them in worship and being part of their worship reminded us that we were SE seeking God on this journey as well as seeking to get to know one another better so yes there’s been a huge growth in interest in pilgrimage in recent years and books have been written about it and people have been devising new Pilgrim roots and the cathedral cycle route is just one example of that the whole route was a collaboration of different organizations cycling organizations particularly cycling UK and the association of English Cathedrals so it’s really interesting that pilgrimage has caught the secular imagination as well as the religious imagination and many people want to get out there on the route and make these Journeys to really significant places that have meaning from the past and have meaning in the present still today people come not only to see the wonderful building but to pray and to just seek out God and to find meaning for their lives ring in its wonderfully decorated interior exitor Cathedral is most emphatically a statement about wonder and worship it’s exciting and exuberant but at the same time also personal relaxing and reassuring exodus’s Cathedral is a glorious example of what could be achieved when the gothic building style was applied to its full potential after attending the consecration of salsbury’s stunning Gothic Masterpiece in 1258 exitus Bishop Walter brunome wanted something similar the Norman church was progressively demolished to make way for a building that was both bigger and brighter only the towers were retained but everywhere else the decorated Gothic style of the early 13th century was expressed in full including the longest Stone vaed ceiling of any cathedral in in the world the outstanding feature of exodus’s exterior is the 14th century West Frontage with its Rose window beautifully carved doorways and a huge screen of medieval sculptures arranged in three tiers the lower level contains statues of angels while above are Knights and Kings many carved in relaxed poses that are surprisingly contemporary the top level which was added around a century later is populated by the 12 apostles and various other Saints exodus’s vaulted Nave each of its columns playing into a fan of 11 ribs is or inspiring today so it would have undoubtedly left medieval worshippers in wonderment as their eyes were drawn heavenwards as well as having immense scale exodus’s interior is also full of fascinating smaller details among them the minstrel’s gallery with its carved and colored Angels playing musical instruments a medieval cat flap the cat was paid a penny a week to catch the rats and Bice plaguing the North Tower and a 15th century painting of appollonia the patron saint of dentists who is depicted holding an extracted tooth of course when the cathedral was built pilgrimage was hugely important both for the pilgrims but also for the financial sustainability of the place and paral exitor didn’t have a saint or a holy well so we were hard done by it’s one of the reasons though it’s such a glorious building because they decided they had to give people a reason to visit so they put all the effort into making it a sort of Jewel of a building inside for people to come and see the reason pilgrimage is so important I I suppose is that Cathedrals are converting places we don’t have to do it through words the buildings themselves do the work for us there was a survey two or three years ago which showed that more young people come to Faith in Britain because of buildings than because of people I think that’s because buildings get in the way less than Christian people do but we can sometimes be very off-putting whereas the building points straight to the glory of God pilgrimage is on the up in the country at the moment it seems that pilgrimage scratches people spiritually where perhaps traditional worship doesn’t that’s partly of course because of the physical effort involved and it’s partly because it’s not dogmatic in any way people are on a journey and pilgrimage allows them to walk with God in their own way I do think we’re offering new ways to reach out to people and allow them to take their journey to god seriously but without trying to prescri describe the ways in which they should do that one of the most moving emails I received during the pandemic came from someone who traveled from North Devon you know that’s a good hour and a bit to get here because they needed to pray and when they got here what did they find but shut doors and barred Gates and it nearly made me weep because of course we had to close we we we didn’t choose to close that was imposed Upon Us by the government but the cathedral does offer people a chance to meet with God and the building does that on the whole of itself this is a place where people have been praying for nearly a thousand years and that has infused the stones themselves with a spirit of prayer and accompanies people on this journey so I think that many people who come in as a visitor find that their not only their sights but their hearts and their souls and their Spirits are raised to God just through the experience of coming to the [Music] cathedral to [Music] be Herford Cathedral May well have been built to provide a glimpse of heaven but it feels surprisingly down to earth and ready to serve whoever walks through the door it seems a comforting and reassuring space perhaps largely because it was built on miracles today the answers to prayer are maybe more subtle but Herford cathedral’s remarkable history can have the effect of bolstering beliefs and strengthening Faith Herford is another English cathedral that makes the most of a delightful River setting looking out over the Meandering why and further to the West the Welsh Hills surrounded by a green it’s inviting the moment you set foot on the grass from some point in the 8th Century the Minster church here was given Cathedral status and pilgrims began visiting after a shrine was created for the remains of St ethelbert a Pious and wise East anglian King who was brutally murdered by a rival a newly built Cathedral Church described as a glorious Minster was destroyed by a rebel Welsh Army in 1055 and replaced by a larger Norman cathedral in the Romanesque style remarkably much of this building still exists despite the inevitable extensions and remodeling followed by the damage and desecrations of both the reformation and the Civil Wars St ethelbert’s Shrine was completely destroyed in that attack in 1055 and his remains were scattered and lost pilgrimage has always been part of the story of this church since it was founded in anglosaxon times and and although through the reformation and for a long period of its history that was obliterated the cathedral chapter has seen the Revival of that in common with many other places in recent years and from the 2000s onwards we’ve sought to restore two shrines within the life of this church the first Saints Shrine associated with the cathedral was at of St ethelbert an Anglo-Saxon boy King murdered in the year 794 who was seen by popular Acclaim as a sort of martyr and that endowed the cathedral with um a real attraction and that was greatly supported the name of ethelbert and the honoring of him always continued at the Cathedral even after in 2007 we restored a kind of shrine space within the cathedral to commemorate ethelbert and remember him it provides a focal point that’s really interesting and the way the shrine has been made with pictures of his story on it means that people come and read it and engage with it in 2008 the shrine of Thomas of Herford which you can see behind me St Thomas Cel Loop was restored to its former glory and the intention being that that really would be a a focal point for visitors and pilgrims within the cathedral where many candles would be lit and people would come and perhaps pray pray for healing or for peace or whatever they wanted and that has drawn people Thomas cantaloop who was Bishop here from 1275 until his death in 1282 the petition for his canonization listed over 400 Miracles a number only bettered by canterbury’s Thomas Becket so he was very good business for the [Music] cathedral pilgrimage funded a number of build building projects including the central tower the chapter house new windows and choir stools and an extended porch which was required to accommodate the throngs of medieval visitors queuing to get in such were Thomas’s saintly Powers it was claimed he had even healed the King’s favorite hunting Falcon when it was sick amazingly a tiny relic of Thomas has also survived and is now contained in the restored sh Shrine Herford has a number of other great Treasures too including the 13th century mapamundi a medieval view of the world which is shown centered around the holy city of Jerusalem Herford Cathedral also has one of the four Magna Carters from 1217 that are known to have survived and the world’s finest example of a chained Library which dates back to the early 1600s in those days books were extremely valuable items and the chains allowed them to be taken off the shelves and read at the adjacent desks but not removed libraries were common in cathedrals during medieval times as a great many of the earliest printed books were theological including of course the Bible I think the real pilgrimage the real journey is often Within in ourselves within our soul and spirit in our world today people are often looking for something or feeling a bit lost and to make a pilgrimage can help us sort our minds out if I’ve got something to think about I find it’s often best to go for a walk and kind of talk it through to myself on the walk and pilgrimage is a grand way of of doing that the outward Journey provides a purpose and gives an end point and a hope and something to aim for and to have the arrival Point here in the cathedral for the St Thomas way for instance is [Music] marvelous [Music] from Herford it’s only 16 miles to the Welsh border as we continue to Head West on our pilgrimage following in the footsteps of the many who would have made the journey to St David’s our ultimate destination too Wales is a land steeped in myths and legends it’s also a place of great religious significance and it’s thought that Christianity was being practiced right from Roman times there’s certainly plenty of evidence that Christianity was well established in Wales by the fifth and 6th centuries the Welsh Saints of David dinol and durius founded large monasteries and three of these St Assaf Banger and St David’s evolved into Bishop Ricks St Daniel’s Monastery set up around 5:30 stood on the site now occup occupied by bango’s Squat and sturdy cathedral which was completed in the early part of the 12th century inside Bangor Cathedral is quite intimate more Parish Church than ecclesiastical power statement but there is still a sense of the carefully crafted beauty that was originally created to lift the eye heavenwards it still does today danol was consecrated as the First bishop of Bangor by St David in 546 but nothing remains of the original Monastery which was destroyed by a marauding band of Vikings in 1073 the present church has evolved out of Wars fires and at least three phases of major remodeling the last in the late 19th century as part of a Britain wide Revival of the nation’s great churches the Nave was rebuilt in the late 14th century with a Timber ceiling work also began on a much taller central tower which would have been topped by a Spire but this idea was abandoned after cracks started to appear in the transcept walls today’s Cathedral is dedicated to its original founder St Daniel and despite being one of the smallest in Britain its light filled interior still feels spacious Airy and welcoming the elaborately carved choir stalls are masterpieces of the art as is the Mosin Christ which is in Oak and from the late 15th century it depicts Jesus wearing the crown of thorns and pensively contemplating his impending [Music] crucifixion [Music] make an ancient pilgrimage route across North Wales has been revived in recent times and from Bangor Cathedral it heads East along the edge of the spectacular snowdonia National Park to reach St asath Cathedral the National Park is the biggest in Wales and is 823 square miles of some of the most breathtaking scenery in Britain it’s hugely popular with visitors some who come to take on its physical challenges and some who come simply to take in the views St Assaf Cathedral AAL is a cathedral in miniature looking almost like a scale model but it’s a beautifully proportioned Building inside this is a living place of worship and still very much at the heart of its local community this Cathedral also has its origins in an ancient Monastery established around 560 on the banks of the river Elway by St kentan a Scottish Bishop who made good use of a period per of time in Exile in Wales Assaf was one of kentigern’s converts and became the bishop here in 573 as a boy he was said to have carried glowing coals in his cloak with neither the Garment nor himself being burned this was proof of his great sanctity and the story is depicted in one of the cathedral’s windows the town of the same name grew up around the cathedral slowly expanding over the century from the original monastic [Music] Community as happened all over England and Wales after the Norman conquests it was decided to build a new and not surprisingly bigger church but on a different site at top a small hill the reason for moving the old church was quite literally on the war path a route all too regularly used by the feuding English kings and Welsh princes fighting over land the monks had simply had enough of being caught in the middle the small Parish Church of St Assaf now stands on what’s thought to be the original site of kentigern’s Monastery St Assaf Shrine was moved to the new cathedral in 1281 but had to be rescued just a year later when English troops accidentally Set Fire to the place they were promptly excommunicated for their troubles rebuilding took over a 100 years and was partially funded by the visiting pilgrims disaster struck again in 142 when the cathedral was all but totally destroyed during the Rebellion against English rule led by o glendor the last Prince of Wales who was actually a native Welshman this time the restoration work took nearly 85 years finally completed in 1495 most of what can be seen today is from this time although a partial collapse of the central tower in 1714 saw the top section rebuilt in red Sandstone which contrasts with the white Limestone below it seems most people agree the St Assaf really is the smallest Anglican cathedral in Britain today but what’s emerged from a particularly turbulent early history is a church which exudes a quiet [Music] Majesty inside the elaborate canopi choir stalls are the sole surviving 15th century examples left in Wales and a true work of art another of the cathedral’s treasures is the William Morgan Bible the first translation into the Welsh language which was instigated by Queen Elizabeth the although not for entirely out truistic reasons her subtle concept was to make English more widely accepted in Wales so if this text was seen alongside the Welsh translation this could be achieved as can be seen all over Wales today the Welsh language had steadfastly survived all attempts at its suppression and the country is now officially bilingual William Morgan was the bishop of St Assaf from 6 161 until his death in 164 but by then he had already translated the Old Testament followed by a scholly revision of an earlier translation of the New Testament a new revision of Morgan’s Welsh Bible was well underway at the time of his death and was eventually published in 1620 it remains inuse today and Morgan’s work is considered to have made a significant contribution to literacy in Wales as well as promoting the Welsh language Queen Elizabeth the would most likely not have been [Music] amused [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] Breen Cathedral Nestles in a wall close surrounded by some of its original monastic buildings and Beyond lies the stunning beauty of the Breen Beacon’s national park inside the cathedral seems to effortlessly link the past with the present there’s history everywhere but also a great sense of the Christian faith which always looks to a more hopeful future the market town of Breen is today the gateway to the park and its many outdoor activities but its location was once a strategic one at a point where the river as could be easily fored consequently it was considered militarily important from Roman times the Normans established a fort here which was quickly followed by a Benedictine prior set up in 1093 with its church built in the Romanesque style the stonework at the Eastern end of the Nave is All That Remains of that building while the rest of the cathedral dates from the 13th and 14th centuries the interior is gothic in style the pointed arches of the giveaways with the Chan of and Sanctuary being particularly fine examples of the early English phase although significant restoration work was required in the 19th century Breen has retained its medieval character albeit a lot less colorful than it would have been before the Reformation from the West End which is very unusual because it doesn’t include an entrance there’s a superbly uninterrupted view eastwards to the high altar where the original golden rude once hung is now a striking modern interpretation made from bronze and Driftwood which was collected from nearby beaches at the height of Breen cathedral’s popularity as a place of pilgrimage in the 15th century a suspended walkway was built so pilgrims could touch the foot of the crucified Christ as it hung on the huge and elaborately decorated cross as the dissolution of the monasteries was enacted across England and Wales the prior was closed down in 1537 but as it was then already being used by the parish as a place of worship the church building was left largely undamaged of course the rude was taken down and all the prior’s other Treasures surrendered to the crown in fact Breen’s prary Church didn’t achieve Cathedral status until 1923 when the dasis of Swansea and Breen was formed the cathedral’s Harvard Chapel was built in the 14th century and paid for by the Harvard family so it was originally a Chantry and today the Harvard Chapel is dedicated to the South Wales borderers regiment their exploits in the Zulu War are commemorated in the cathedral’s East window [Music] where [Music] [Music] our pilgrimage to of Britain’s great Cathedrals ends just as the journeys of many pilgrims Through the Ages have ended at St David’s Cathedral situated at the westernmost point of Wales on a rocky rugged and wind lashed Coastal site the cathedral speaks of the extraordinary life chosen by David and his dedication to the spiritual at the expense of the physical in both life and death David represented the promise of divine help for those who requested it in faith in the cathedral softly lit and calming interior there’s the tangible impression that David’s promise Still Remains such was the importance of St Davids in the Christian church that it ranked only behind Rome and Jerusalem as a place of pilgrimage granting papal privilege on St David’s in 11 23 Pope kius II decreed that two pilgrimages to St David’s is equal to one to Rome three pilgrimages to St David’s is equal to one to Jerusalem so who was this saint who inspired so much respect and reverence it seems most likely David was born right on this Rocky Coastline not far from the cathedral which Bears his name sometime around the year 520 not much is known about his early life although it’s believed he was the son of a local Chieftain and his birth was the result of his mother being raped perhaps this knowledge spurred him into a life of righteousness and rigorous piety as both a teacher and a preacher David practiced a particularly AER form of Christian Living based on acts of extreme self-deprecation one involves standing naked in freezing water up to the neck for hours on end reciting Psalms this practice was designed to suppress the desires of the Flesh and enhance the spiritual awareness and these became the Hallmarks of the monastic community that David established tucked away in a small River Valley in the middle of the 6th Century this place was known locally as the Valley of the little swamp but David knew he’d found the right spot when the staff he stuck into the dry summer Earth immediately produced a trickle of cool water that spring is still running today David’s monks were strictly required to follow his example they lived on a diet of bread herbs and water meat was considered to incite lustful thoughts his veget arianism also extended to forbidding the use of working animals so the monks were required to shoulder the yolks themselves to plow their fields Miracles were being attributed to David while he was still alive as stories of his spirituality and great wisdom started to circulate he’s often depicted with a white dove sitting on one shoulder a symbol of a visitation by the Holy Spirit at his death the monastery was reported to have been filled with angels ready to speed his soul up to God soon after a shrine was created in the small Monastery Church and pilgrims began arriving in ever increasing numbers although the community’s location had originally been chosen in order to be largely hidden from Seaborn Viking Raiders over the next few hundred years it was attacked again and again to try to keep them safe David’s relics were moved on many occasions and were increasingly diminishing but a shrine was certainly in place in 1081 when William the Conqueror visited to prey which further enhanced the religious significance of the site just a few years later though the shrine was said to have been stolen while another story suggests David’s remains had somehow found their way to glastenbury Abbey which some believe was founded by the saint regardless it’s likely that when the new normana cathedral was consecrated in 1131 there were no actual relics of David left and it was instead relying on its papal stamp of approval to attract pilgrims it obviously worked because it soon became clear that the new church wasn’t going to be big enough to cater for the huge number of visitors now arriving from all over Britain and Europe consequently sometime around 1180 the old church was demolished and work began on a bigger cathedral built from locally quarried fine grained sandstone and initially at least in the classic Romanesque style in the six Bay Nave this early work is evidenced by the rounded arches but as the building progressed Through Time into the early English Gothic style there’s a change to pointed arches as a curiosity the last two Nave arches at the Western end are neither rounded nor pointed possibly because somebody miscalculated the spacings another curiosity is that the nave’s floor slopes so the pillars become progressively taller towards the West End the total difference being 4.2 M it’s the result of the sloping sight and the the fact that it’s actually the gravel bed of an ancient river which is inherently unstable like many of the cathedrals we’ve visited in these programs St David’s has had its fair share of calamities a tower collapsed in 1220 and in 1247 an earthquake caused extensive damage ongoing issues with shifting foundations necessitated the addition of flying buttresses in the 14th century to shore up the Nave War walls then in the 18th century both the central tower and the West Frontage were found to be moving eventually the whole building needed restoring which was undertaken by the Victorian savior of many a cathedral in both Wales in England Sir George Gilbert Scott St David’s Cathedral is actually still on the move and while the amount of shifting is very small the risk of structural damage remains an ongoing concern an idea of just how wealthy the monastic community of St Davis had become by the 14th century is evident in the ruins of the Colossal Bishop’s Palace even in Ruins it’s still very impressive and it’s here that the bishop would have entertained the more distinguished pilgrims who arrived to pray at St David’s Shrine the palace included two huge dining Halls separated by an enormous kitchen two sets of spacious Apartments its own Grand Chapel with Cloister and The Bishop’s private quarters this would have been entertaining on a grand scale and fit for royalty too but it was only in use for a comparatively short time and perhaps as ecclesiastical excesses became less acceptable was disused and derelict by the end of the 17th century fortunately for us several plans to totally demolish the complex came to nothing and today the site is preserved as a relic in its own right of the golden age of saints shrines and pilgrimage on [Music] mass this era came to an abrupt end with the Reformation the first protest istant Bishop of St David’s Cathedral William barow declared it was his intention to eradicate what he called the superti of St David which included removing all the images and statues but as can be seen today all around the cathedral St David remains very much a part of it this building has survived everything that history and geography has thrown at it and today stands as an enduring testimony to the legacy of its name name sake remarkably in a roundabout way the Shrine of the saintly David has survived too a 13th century prior called John de gamage reputedly recovered some remains after being directed to a site in the cathedral grounds by a dream during the dissolution these relics had been removed from the dismantled Shrine and buried then lying undiscovered for many centuries the recovered remain are now contained in a reler which was a portable shrine set into a niche in the side of the beautifully restored 13th century Shrine the arch-shaped niches were originally used by the pilgrims for kneeling the shrine is now located in the cathedral’s 16th century Trinity Chapel and its decorations including painted icons of the five Saints associated with the area and a colorful Oak canopy recreate exactly how it would have looked in medieval times in the 21st century the shrine of St David has again become the focus for pilgrimage and prayer many again taking heart from the words he uttered just before his death be joyful keep the faith do the little things that you have heard and seen me do pilgrimage has been important over the centuries and I’m quite Keen that we should try to revive the idea of pilgrimage and I feel that in some ways the the shrine has helped to to spiritualize the building as well to make it more more prayerful St David’s Cathedral became the focus of pilgrims from all over Britain and Europe for many centuries and was given a holy status only just below those of Rome and Jerusalem however for a great many Christian pilgrims then and now the holy city of Jerusalem is the ultimate spiritual destination the recent Revival in pilgrimage could be seen in the context of a modern society that seems less secure now than ever people are looking for something deeper and more profound on which to base their lives call it spirituality call it mindfulness it doesn’t really matter the remarkable stories of the early Christian Saints their lives of dedication and devotion and the cathedrals which were created to honor them are again resonating with us and giving meaning on a very personal level I truly hope these programs have given you some insight into why people have Faith or indeed without any faith at all continue to feel compelled to go on these extraordinary Journeys in search of Enlightenment reassurance or Solace and perhaps you might even be convinced to follow in their footsteps and if you do I am quite sure that you also will find it a truly rewarding experience I’m David sushe and thank you for watching ing the Pilgrim’s way to Britain’s great [Music] [Applause] [Music] cathedrals [Music] [Music]