ST. DAVID'S BISHOP'S PALACE

At the time, it was said that two trips to St. David's was worth a pilgrimage to Rome. Thousands of people came here, making St. David's a major pilgrimage centre in the country. The architectural ambitions of the Bishop of Gower were high and made the complex a model of medieval refinement. Between 1328 and 1347 he transformed this old building for servants and animals into a huge palace. Built behind the cathedral between the 13th and 14th centuries, this imposing palace was once reserved for the nobility and the clergy. It shows the importance of this stage on the road to Compostela. Now in ruins, it is still impressive. The palace is built around the central garden. The east was devoted to the private spaces of the bishop, with his bedroom, small reception room and kitchens at the end, articulating the apartments with the south wing, rather devoted to the public spaces of reception. The room next to the lobby was probably used to house important visitors to St. David's. The western part probably served as a dormitory, where lesser visitors were housed. Numerous architectural details appear during the visit, which bear witness to the building's past splendour: finely decorated windows and arches, corbels sculpted in the shape of a face or animal, decoration of the arcades... Now in ruins, it remains, nevertheless, an impressive monument.