The Cathedral Church of Saints Peter and Paul with Saints Dyfrig, Teilo, and Euddogwy

Llandaff Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral and is the mother church of the Church of Wales Diocese of Llandaff and seat of the Bishop of Llandaff. It is one of two cathedrals in Cardiff, the other being the Roman Catholic Metropolitan Cathedral Church of St David.

The current cathedral building was constructed in the 12th century on the site of an earlier church. The building then suffered serious damage during the 14th century rebellion of Owain Glyndwr and during the English Civil War. The cathedral remained in it’s medieval form until the early 17th century when a storm in 1722 caused the collapse of the south-west tower and nave roof. The architect, John Wood the Elder of Bath was tasked with the repair of the cathedral and built his ‘italianate temple’ in the eastern half of the building of which almost no trace remains. There was then a second great restoration in the 1850s and 1860s when the new tower and spire at the south-west corner and the Pritchard Tower were built.

On 2nd January, 1941 a German parachute mine landed in the graveyard after snagging on the Pritchard Tower. The resulting explosion caused the roofs on the southside to collapse damaging fixtures and fittings. All the glass was blown out, but fortunately several windows had been removed the previous autumn for protection, and the chapter house was badly damaged. This led to the third great restoration which was completed in 1960. The most notable feature of this restoration was the pulpitum figure ‘Christ in Majesty’ by Jacob Epstein.