St Davids

St Davids Welsh: Tyddewi
City
Flag
St Davids Cathedral
St Davids
Location within Pembrokeshire
Area	17.93 sq mi (46.4 km2) (community) 0.23 sq mi (0.60 km2) (urban area)
Population	1,841  (2011)
• Density	103/sq mi (40/km2)
OS grid reference	SM755255
Community	St Davids and the Cathedral Close
Principal area	Pembrokeshire
Ceremonial county	Dyfed
Country	Wales
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	HAVERFORDWEST
Postcode district	SA62
Dialling code	01437
Police	Dyfed-Powys
Fire	Mid and West Wales
Ambulance	Welsh
UK Parliament	Preseli Pembrokeshire
Welsh Assembly	Preseli Pembrokeshire

St Davids, or St David's, (Welsh: Tyddewi, [tɨː ˈðɛwi], lit. "David's house"), is the smallest city in the United Kingdom, with about 1,841 people living there, as of the 2011 census. It is also a community called St Davids and the Cathedral Close. It is in Pembrokeshire, Wales on the River Alun. It is where Saint David is buried, who is the patron saint of Wales. St Davids first became a city in the 12th century, but it was demoted in 1886. In the UK, the monarch gives or takes away whether a place is a city or not. In 1994, Queen Elizabeth II made St Davids a city again.

History

In the 6th century, Saint David started a monastery and church on the banks of the River Alun at a place called Glyn Rhosyn (Rose Vale). The area was first called Mynyw in Welsh. The Romans called it Meneva or Menevia. The people of the monastery grew food and did other crafts, like beekeeping. They also fed the poor.

The area that grew around the monastery became known in Welsh as Tyddewi, which means "David's house". In 519, the archbishop of Caerleon was moved to the monastery. Tyddewi was renamed "St Davids" in name of the saint who founded the place. The first cathedral that was built was attacked many times by the Vikings, and burned down in 1087. The cathedral that is there now was built by the Normans. Many pilgrims travelled to St Davids because Saint David was from there.