Y Capel
Y Capel (The Chapel) is the most atmospheric room in the building - with a history of over 400 years.
Carmarthenshire Museum is located in the former Bishop's Palace of St Davids, which served as a home for the bishops for over 400 years.
The most important room in the Palace during that time was the Chapel. Located on the building's first floor, the Chapel was where bishops, their families, and their guests would gather for daily prayer.
A chapel has existed in the building since at least 1625. Look for a brass plaque on the wall facing the windows; it marks the consecration of a chapel here in August of that year.
A fire in the building destroyed the original chapel in 1903. You can see a picture of how the chapel looked before that event on the wall near the altar. Between 1904 and 1907, the ecclesiastical architect W.D. Caröe restored the space in the Arts and Crafts style; the most significant change was turning the pews to face the aisle rather than the altar. This may have been done to provide an opportunity to commemorate past bishops through beautiful wood carvings of their coats of arms. How many can you spot?
Before you leave, take a moment to find out more about Bishop Connop Thirlwall, whose reading chair is on display near the altar. Bishop Thirlwall was one of the first bishops in Wales to learn Welsh and was an ardent supporter of the Welsh language and culture.