The Cathedral and The Sea, through the centuries

Held as part of the St Davids Tir a Mor / Land and Sea Festival, this special tour of St Davids Cathedral will highlight the Rarely Seen links between the Cathedral and the Sea over the centuries. From the 6th century when Dewi Sant, St David, and his followers would travel by sea rather than land, to the 200th anniversary of the RNLI and the Lifesavers Cross made out of wood from the old St Davids lifeboat station built in 1911. The cross is on the altar in the Chapel of St Nicholas, patron saint of sailors, as well as of children. During the tour we will see medieval graffiti of ships that sailors would draw before they went to sea to pray for a safe voyage. And then often when, or if, they returned to give thanks for a safe voyage. The Tour will include a visit to the historic Cathedral Library with its many old maps and atlases often produced by navigators who knew the sea better than they knew the land. There is also evidence of some sad stories over the years of some who did not have such safe experiences at sea.