Bishop Joanna Penberthy Ecclesiastical province Church in Wales | Cathedral St David's Cathedral | |
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Archdeaconries St David's, Cardigan, Carmarthen | ||
The Diocese of St David's covers the historic extent of Ceredigion, Carmarthenshire, and Pembrokeshire, together with a small part of western Glamorgan. The episcopal see is the Cathedral Church of St David in the City of St David's, Pembrokeshire. The present cathedral, which was begun in 1181, stands on the site of a monastery founded in the 6th century by Saint David.
The diocese is divided into the three archdeaconries of St David's, Carmarthen and Cardigan. The bishop's residence is Llys Esgob in Abergwili, Carmarthenshire.
History
The history of the diocese of St David's is traditionally traced to that saint in the latter half of the 6th century. Records of the history of the diocese before Norman times are very fragmentary, however, consisting of a few chance references in old chronicles, such as 'Annales Cambriae' and 'Brut y Tywysogion' (Rolls Series).
Originally corresponding with the boundaries of Dyfed (Demetia), St David's eventually comprised all the country south of the River Dyfi and west of the English border, with the exception of the greater part of Glamorganshire, in all some 3,500 square miles (9,100 km2). Until 1852 the diocese also included some parishes in Herefordshire.
The diocese assumed its current extent in 1923, when the Diocese of Swansea and Brecon was created from the eastern part of the diocese.
The office of Bishop of St David's has existed since the founding of the cathedral. The current bishop, the 129th, is Joanna Penberthy, whose election was confirmed on 30 November 2016, whose consecration has been scheduled for 21 January 2017 at Llandaff Cathedral, and whose enthronement in St Davids Cathedral for 11 February 2017. She will be the first woman ordained a bishop in the Church in Wales upon her consecration.