"There are more saints in Cornwall than in all of heaven"
So says the Cornish proverb.
So says the Cornish proverb.
In the so-called Dark Ages, Celtic missionaries began arriving en masse on the shores of Cornwall, and nearly all these men and women established a small cell, where they lived a quiet and spiritual existence. These cells were often places where there was an existing well, a spring, or some kind of natural monument, later of course larger monuments were erected in their names in the form of a church.
Parish Church of St Mawgan
Three villages that are important to me are named after saints, they are St Columb, St Mawgan, and St Evel, others like St Ives, St Mawes and St Just in Roseland you may have heard of already. These and other little Cornish villages are named after fifth/six century saints, many of whom were never officially granted their saintly status by the church.
Myths and legends associated with these saints feature highly in the Cornish culture. Many, like St Columba's story, involve water. Columba was chased by her pursuers from her landing place at Porth and was beheaded at Ruthvoes, her blood running into the nearby streams at Retalion and Treloy. St Mawgan preached from a tiny well that is still visible in the grounds of the parish church.
Myths and legends associated with these saints feature highly in the Cornish culture. Many, like St Columba's story, involve water. Columba was chased by her pursuers from her landing place at Porth and was beheaded at Ruthvoes, her blood running into the nearby streams at Retalion and Treloy. St Mawgan preached from a tiny well that is still visible in the grounds of the parish church.
St Mawgan's Holy Well
St Mawgan's church which stands in the Lanherne valley is one of over 200 beautiful Cornish churches scattered around the county. All have magnificent interiors, beautiful wood carvings, and brasses of the ancient families that once frequented these buildings, and all owe their existence to these ancient saints.
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