Staying dry at a thin place

 

Frank McCourt in his memoir Angela’s Ashes speculates that while growing up in Ireland in the 1930s there was one very good reason to go to church – to get out of the rain. The seaside village of Tenby, on the west coast of Wales, is not looking its best in the mist and rain today. So, Frank McCourt’s advice is heeded as we head out to uncover the wonder, majesty, peculiarity and dryness of St David’s Cathedral.

 

In Britain’s smallest city St Davids, about an hour from Tenby, there has been a worshipping Christian community since the 6^th century. Close to where he was born, St David founded his monastery around 550AD  The Cathedral, built on the same site, was commenced in 1182. Here on the Pembrokeshire Peninsula overlooking the Celtic Sea, prayers and worship have been celebrated continually every day for over 1500 years. This consistent church attendance over so many centuries suggests that it must rain here even more than in Ireland, or maybe there are other reasons for attending this church.

 

This magnificent building survived a tower collapse and earthquake in the 13^th century. It has continually been remodelled extended and refurbished over millennium. The structure is solid and strong despite shifting foundations which have resulted in a mixture of levels and surfaces. The main sanctuary, with its incredible timber ceiling, slopes significantly uphill towards the altar. The west and east sides of the building also differ in height by about 4 metres. It feels a little like a modern, many times extended shopping mall of churches and small chapels, each with a different style, focus and purpose

 

Its scale and grandness continues to impress the 300 000 people who visit annually. Today’s visitors are used to advanced technology, impressive architecture, large cities and engineering precision. Imagine the impact this amazing building had on the countless numbers of pilgrims who walked to this Cathedral from far and wide for over eight centuries. Modest souls who lived simple lives, in humble dwellings without central heating or even a water closet. This vast, grand, beautiful and at times overpowering Cathedral must have seemed out of this world. No wonder places like this were described as ‘thin places’ – where heaven and earth come closer together.

 

St David, the much loved patron saint of Wales, was reputed to have been a very fine preacher. In his last sermon he is reported to have said these memorable words:

 

Be joyful, keep the faith and do the little things