Eglwys Dewi Sant (Saint David's Church), Cardiff

Eglwys Dewi Sant (Saint David's Church), originally dedicated to Saint Andrew, stands as a prominent Grade II listed church in the heart of Cardiff. This unique church is notable for being the only one in the Diocese of Llandaff that conducts all its services in the Welsh language, reflecting its strong cultural heritage.

The church is strategically located at the center of Saint Andrew's Crescent, a tree-lined oval green just north of Cardiff's city center. This area was formally developed in the 1850s by the trustees of the Bute Estate, who envisioned a church at the focal point of the crescent. In 1859, architects John Prichard and John Pollard Seddon, under the collaboration of Prichard & Seddon, designed the church with a broad nave and a distinctive crossing steeple.

The church, initially dedicated to Saint Andrew, was completed and consecrated in 1863, although with scaled-back ambitions and costs, largely influenced by Alexander Roos, a Bute architect who took over the project in 1862. Later enhancements in 1884–1886, including transepts and vestries designed by William Butterfield and additional porches, further developed the structure.

Originally, the Welsh-speaking community in Cardiff had another church built in 1856 by the Marchioness of Bute located on Tyndall Street. However, shifting demographics led to the transition of services to English by 1870. In response to the continued need for Welsh-language services, the Capel Dewi Sant was built in 1889, and subsequently, the new Eglwys Dewi Sant next to it in 1891, serving the community until it suffered significant damage during the Cardiff Blitz.

By the mid-20th century, the congregation of the original Saint Andrew's Church dwindled, leading to its closure in 1954. The congregation moved to Saint Teilo's Church in Cathays. The vacated church presented an opportunity for the congregation of the severely damaged Eglwys Dewi Sant to relocate. On November 1, 1956, the church was reconsecrated as Eglwys Dewi Sant. The building was later designated as a Grade II listed building in 1975, underscoring its architectural and historical significance in Cardiff's landscape.