St Padarn's Institute

John Prichard was a noted ecclesiastical architect who undertook much church building and restoration in Wales, often in partnership with John Pollard Seddon.[2] He established a practice in Llandaff, Cardiff, becoming 'Resident Diocesan Architect' in December 1844.[3] In the mid-1860s, he began the building of a house, and attached office on the site of the future St Michael's. Following his death in 1886, control passed to the Church of England, which began the building of a residential seminary for the training of priests.[4] The main college buildings were designed by F. R. Kempson and built between 1904 and 1907.[5] In the 1950s, a college chapel was designed by George Pace.[6]

In 2016, following a review, A report on the future of theological training in the Church in Wales, the college closed as a residential centre, with the training of priests devolved to individual dioceses.[7] St Padarn's Institute took over the old St Michael's buildings and the mandate for training Welsh Priests and other licensed ministers was centralised at St Padarn's at the end of 2016. The Cardiff site became the home for residential and administration activities, but with training taking place under the name of St Padarn's Institute for all Church in Wales licensed and ordained ministers across the whole of Wales.[8][9]

Postgraduate courses in Chaplaincy studies, Youth, Children and Family Specialisms and general Theology developed under the umbrella of St Padarn's, with students attending from all parts of the UK. A strong doctoral programme has also developed there. Through a programme called Theology for Life St Padarns also provides a part time degree course to hundreds of people across Wales.

The architectural historian John Newman, writing in his Glamorgan Pevsner, describes the design of Prichard's office and house as "sprightly". He is less complimentary about F. R. Kempson's large-scale additions for the college, which he considers "bland and uninspired".[4] Prichard's building uses a polychromatic blend of rubble and blue brick with stone dressings, while Kempson deployed sandstone with Bath stone dressings.[5] The most highly regarded building in the complex is the chapel by Pace. Constructed to a Modernist design, Newman notes the influence of Le Corbusier's Notre-Dame du Haut.[4] The chapel is designated a Grade I listed building,[6] while the college,[5] and a block of three apartments within it, are designated Grade II.[10]

• Leonard Hodgson
• Alwyn Rice Jones (Bishop of St Asaph and Archbishop of Wales)
• R. S. Thomas (poet and priest)
• John David Edward Davies (Archbishop of Wales and Bishop of Swansea and Brecon)
• Gregory Kenneth Cameron (Bishop of St Asaph)
• John Wyn Evans (Bishop of St David's)
• Richard Pain (Bishop of Monmouth)
• Paul Groves (poet and critic)
• Martin Dudley (priest)
• Raymond Roberts (Chaplain of the Fleet)

• Newman, John (1995). Glamorgan. The Buildings of Wales. London, UK: Penguin. ISBN 0140710566.
• Newman, John (2000). Gwent/Monmouthshire. The Buildings of Wales. London: Penguin. ISBN 0-14-071053-1.