St Asaph, United Kingdom

The tiny city of ST ASAPH (Llanelwy) is centred on Britain's smallest cathedral (Mon– Sat 9am–6.30pm, Sun 7.30am–4.30pm; free), no bigger than many village churches. It was founded around 570 by St Kentigern, the patron saint of Glasgow, and takes its name from the succeeding bishop, St Asaph. Both are commemorated in the easternmost window in the north aisle. From 1601 until his death in 1604, the bishopric was held by William Morgan, who was responsible for the translation of the first Welsh-language Bible in 1588. This version replaced the English ones used up until that time and was so successful that the Privy Council decreed that a copy of Y Beibl should be allocated to every Welsh church, thereby setting a standard for prose and codifying the language. Without his efforts, many claim, Welsh would have died out. A thousand Morgan Bibles were printed, of which only nineteen remain, one of them displayed in the south aisle along with notable prayer books and psalters.