Photo Gallery: St David's Cathedral

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Photo of the 16th-century wooden ceiling in St. David's Cathedral, looking towards the front (east). The outward lean of the cathedral's arcades make a stone ceiling impossible. During major structural modifications to the nave in the 1500s, the roof was lowered and concealed by this oak ceiling, suspended from tie beams. What was then an expedient to counteract structural disaster is now one of the glories of the cathedral. Made of Irish oak, the ceiling is beautifully and intricately carved. Each pendant features a different late medieval or Renaissance motif, such as the Green Man or dragon-shaped dolphins.