Cornwall's Saints

Cornwall has more varied saints’ dedications than any other county. In addition to the usual saints found in the rest of the country and the wider Christian world, more than 140 Brittonic or local saints have been identified here. Saints are identified with sites across Cornwall – from churches, chapels, crosses and holy wells, to guilds, stores, lights and natural features. Conventional Roman-approved saints such as St Peter and St Paul vie with St Lallu and St Neot, Brittonic saints shared with Wales, Brittany and Cornwall – evidenced by the county’s joint patron saints, St Michael and St Petroc, now St Piran. A rich tapestry of holy places, customs and beliefs associated with these saints developed in Cornwall, which can still be discerned visually in the county today.

Cornish people once believed that they could walk in the footsteps of their saints, whether local or not. This book will focus on what evidence remains for these saints’ cults in Cornwall as well as giving an insight into Cornish beliefs both before and after the Reformation. This fascinating picture of an important part of Cornish history over the centuries will be of interest to all those who live in or are visiting this county.

Author Biography

Dr Joanna Mattingly has lived in Cornwall for 35 years and spent much of this time studying its churches. She is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries, member of the Diocesan Advisory Committee and Cornwall Historic Churches Trust.