St Catharine's Church is a Grade I listed building, built between 1875 and 1882. The church was constructed in the Decorated Gothic style, and dressed with Forest of Dean sandstone. John Prichard, Llandaff's diocesan architect, who also worked on the restoration of Llandaff Cathedral, was heavily involved in the design project, although the building work was superintended by a local architect named John Jones. It replaced the older St Baglan's Church, a pre-Norman building that was largely destroyed by a fire in 1954.
The interior uses Quarella stone, Forest of Dean sandstone and 'Penarth' alabaster to create a polychromatic effect. The chancel is decorated with bands of marble and has a marble floor inlaid with Italian mosaic tiles. A brass memorial plaque commemorates Griffith Llewellyn and his wife Madelina (née Grenfell), both of whom are buried in the churchyard, close to the ruins of the original Saint Baglan's church.
Stained glass windows in the church include designs by William Morris (St Cecilia with Musical Angels) and Edward Burne-Jones (Crucifixion with the Virgin Mary and St John), as well as a Celtic Studios design installed in 1972.
References:The Jan Hus Memorial stands at one end of Old Town Square. The huge monument depicts victorious Hussite warriors and Protestants who were forced into exile 200 years after Hus, and a young mother who symbolises national rebirth. The monument was so large that the sculptor designed and built his own villa and studio where the work could be carried out. It was unveiled in 1915 to commemorate the 500th anniversary of Jan Hus' martyrdom. The memorial was designed by Ladislav Šaloun and paid for solely by public donations.
Born in 1369, Hus became an influential religious thinker, philosopher, and reformer in Prague. He was a key predecessor to the Protestant movement of the sixteenth century. In his works he criticized religious moral decay of the Catholic Church. Accordingly, the Czech patriot Hus believed that mass should be given in the vernacular, or local language, rather than in Latin. He was inspired by the teachings of John Wycliffe.