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, no fewer than 140 Brittonic or local saints have been identified in the county. 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 Brittonic saints shared with Wales, Brittany and Cornwall – evidenced by the county’s joint patron saints – St Michael and St Piran or St Petroc. Irish saints were also important in bringing early Celtic Christianity to Cornwall, as were local Cornish saints. A rich tapestry of holy places, customs and beliefs associated with these saints developed in Cornwall, which can still be discerned 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 still remains today as evidence for these saints’ cults in Cornwall as well as a giving an insight into early beliefs in the county. This fascinating picture of an important part of the history of Cornwall over the centuries will be of interest to all those who live in or are visiting this county.

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