(Welsh: Eglwys Gadeiriol Casnewydd), also known as St Woolos Cathedral, is the cathedral of the Diocese of Monmouth, in the Church in Wales, and seat of the Bishop of Monmouth. Located in the city of Newport in South East Wales, its full title is Newport Cathedral of St. Woolos, King & Confessor.
The name "Woolos" is an English corruption of Gwynllyw, the 5th-century Welsh saint who first founded a religious establishment on the site.
Pre-Norman establishment
An early wooden church is known to have stood on the site from sometime during the Welsh Age of the Saints. This was rebuilt in stone in the 9th century indicating the importance of the cult of Saint Gwynllyw and the wealth of the shrine, as stone buildings from this period are very rare. Sections of the present building date from Early Medieval times and part of this stone building is now incorporated into the present building as the Galilee chapel located at the western end of the cathedral
A pirate attack circa 1050 left the structure in ruins.
Norman history
The Norman archway
In about 1080 the Normans built a new nave to the east of the Saxon ruins, and a lean-to south aisle, building a new entrance archway through the Saxon wall. Circa 1200 the Saxon church was repaired so the Norman entrance became an internal archway.
Mediaeval history
Plaque on eastern wall surrounding the cathedral marking the boundary of the mediaeval borough
It was badly damaged in 1402 when Newport was attacked by the forces of Owain Glyndŵr and underwent a major rebuilding including the addition of the tower.
It also seems to have been damaged in the English Civil War period when a statue above the main entrance representing a benefactor of the church seems to have lost its head. It is either Jasper Tudor, the Earl of Pembroke, or Humphrey Stafford, 1st Duke of Buckingham as both helped rebuild it after Glyndwr's attack.
Recent history
The cathedral has been partially rebuilt or extended in every period up to the 1960s, and is currently undergoing much-needed repairs. An appeal fund was started in 2006 to raise the £1.5m needed to rescue and repair the building, and is still ongoing. Repairs to the roof started in February 2011 by Newport-based contractor Instaat Projects Ltd, although further fundraising is necessary and other restoration is required to prevent serious dilapidation.
In 1929 St Woolos became the pro-cathedral of the new Diocese of Monmouth, attaining full cathedral status in 1949.
With the enthronement of Rowan Williams as Archbishop of Wales in February 2000, the cathedral became the Metropolitan Cathedral for Wales for the third time in its life. The cathedral continues to serve Wales, the diocese and the City of Newport; it also serves a large parish.
It is also a place of pilgrimage for political and industrial historians – a plaque in the churchyard commemorates the bloody suppression of the Chartist rebellionhere in 1839.
The Dean of Monmouth between March 1997 and May 2011 was Richard Fenwick. In May 2011 he was consecrated as Bishop of St Helena. The Diocese covers the islands of Saint Helena and Ascension in the South Atlantic Ocean.
The Reverend Canon Jeremy Winston was installed as Dean of Monmouth on 10 September 2011, but died from a brain tumour on 22 November 2011. On 13 January 2012 it was announced that his successor was to be the Reverend Lister Tonge. He was installed on 31 March 2012.
Situated in the cathedral is the cathedra or seat of the Bishop of Monmouth. The current bishop is the Right Reverend Cherry Vann, enthroned on 1 February 2020.
