St. Asaph, or to give it it's Welsh name "Llanelwy", is the second smallest city in Wales and is situated at the gateway to the spectacular Vale of Clwyd with easy links to stunning coastal scenery, the majestic peaks of Snowdonia and several popular coastal holiday resort.
According to legend, a church and monastery were founded in St. Asaph in the sixth century by Kentigern, Bishop of Strathclyde, who, on his return to Scotland, appointed as abbot-bishop, his protégé Asaph.
Today St. Asaph represents the many facets which combine to create a modern day centre of commerce, industry and agriculture developed around an historic Cathedral.
As the seat of an ancient Cathedral and diocese, St. Asaph was historically regarded as a city but, by the end of the 20th century the relationship between possessing a Cathedral and automatic entitlement to city status had been broken and the town was no longer regarded as a city. The town applied for restoration of city status in competitions held by the government in 2000 (for the Millennium) and 2002 (Queen's Golden Jubilee) but was unsuccessful. In 2012 however, it again competed for city status during the Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations and it was announced on 14th March 2012 that the application was successful and city status was to be bestowed upon St. Asaph alongside Chelmsford and Perth. The status was formally granted by letter patent dated 1 June 2012.
To help our visitors enjoy the wide spectrum of interests our city has to offer we have embarked on the most modern of techniques to bring our history, places of interest and tales of the city to life through this digital trail. These should provide you, the visitor to our city with fascinating facts, interesting insights and an enhanced experience to make your visit even more enjoyable.