You may have heard of Perranporth, a popular small beach resort in West Cornwall. It's an ideal family beach, with a restaurant, rock pools to play in and lots of sandy beach.
A little further along the coast is a place that many of the beach goers don't know about. The lost church of St Piran, in the sand dunes, slightly north of Perranporth, is one of the oldest Christian sites. The oratory was established by in the 6th century AD by St Piran, an Irish saint who landed on the beach after being exiled from his homeland.
He built a chapel on the beach and it is said that his first converts to Christianity were a badger and a fox. People soon began to hear of his powerful preaching and came from long distances to hear him.
He built a chapel on the beach and it is said that his first converts to Christianity were a badger and a fox. People soon began to hear of his powerful preaching and came from long distances to hear him.
Shifting sands eventually made the oratory unusable and in the 10th century it was abandoned, and another church built in a more sheltered location. However, this church too was eventually overwhelmed by sand and was abandoned in 1804.
In 1910 the oratory was dug out and surrounded by an ugly concrete wall to protect it, later removed in 1980, when it was buried in sand.
In 2015 The St Pirans trust excavated the church, digging out 250 tonnes of sand.
In 1910 the oratory was dug out and surrounded by an ugly concrete wall to protect it, later removed in 1980, when it was buried in sand.
In 2015 The St Pirans trust excavated the church, digging out 250 tonnes of sand.
Then it was opened to the public.
It's amazing to think that these ruins have survived for so many hundreds of years. Every year there is a procession on St Piran's day, 5th March, to celebrate the patron saint of the tin miners.
For more information visit.....
https://www.britainexpress.com/counties/cornwall/churches/st-pirans-oratory.htm
12 comments:
I found this fascinating - and thank you for the link to the website.
I like the idea of the badger and the fox, in fact when I attended church, I often wished they would have an outdoor service and allow us to bring pets. They didn't recognise animals as having souls at our particular denomination although personally I think they have :)
I didn't know anything about this so it's been a fascinating read. Many thanks for sharing the info.
What a fascinating bit of history. To think of the prayers and thoughts of saints through so many generations who gathered at this spot is truly astounding. I think it's wonderful that the site is being made accessible for visitors.
That is so interesting, Barbara. I can imagine that life as a tin miner was not an easy one.
Britain is so full of interesting history. Thank you for sharing this spot and history. We walked along one of the beaches in Cornwall called Porthtowan.
Lovely bit of history. I'd love to be able to visit Cornwall. It must be a wonderful area.
Such an interesting piece of Christian history. Perranporth beach is lovely - haven't been there - and I have always loved beaches with rock pools which are usually full of interesting things!
Wow, how very interesting. I am glad that the old church was dug out of the sand and that people can now visit it.
I am sorry that it is taking so long to get this letter off to you. I plan on finishing it up and mailing it off this week.
God bless.
Very interesting post today. I enjoy history and archeology and watch many documentaries on the subject. Thanks for sharing.
I loved reading this about Christian history. Thanks so much for sharing.
Blessings,Linda
That was fascinating, thanks for sharing.
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