Because of the characteristic round shape of its churchyard, the cathedral is thought to be on the site of an earlier
Celtic church, of which no trace remains. A new church, dedicated to
St. John, was built on the orders of
Bernard de Neufmarché, the
Norman knight who conquered the
kingdom of Brycheiniog in 1093. He gave the church to one of his followers, Roger, a monk from
Battle Abbey, who founded a
priory on the site as a daughter house of Battle. The first prior at Brecon was Walter, another monk from Battle. Bernard de Neufmarché also endowed the priory with lands, rights and
tithes from the surrounding area, and, after his death, it passed to the
Earls of Hereford, so giving it greater prosperity. The church was rebuilt and extended in the
Gothic style in about 1215, during the reign of
King John. In the
Middle Ages, the church was known as the church of
Holy Rood or Holy Cross, because it owned a great "golden
rood" which was an object of pilgrimage and veneration until it was destroyed in the
Dissolution of the Monasteries in the 16th century. The smoke-blackened roof of its hall was built between 1237 and 1267. and
Tree of Life In 1538 the Prior was pensioned off, and the priory church became the parish church. Some of the surrounding buildings were adapted for secular use; and others, such as the
cloisters, were left to decay and later demolished. By the 19th century, the church was in poor repair and only the nave was in use. Some restoration took place in 1836, but major renovation of the church did not start until the 1860s. The tower was strengthened in 1914. In recent years, some of the buildings in the
cathedral close have been converted into a diocesan centre, a heritage centre and exhibition, as well as a shop and "the Hours" restaurant.
Charles Lumley (1824–1858), awarded the
Victoria Cross during the
Crimean War, was buried in the cathedral churchyard. ==Deans of Brecon==