Archaeologists examining one of the most ancient churches in Britain

Dmitry Lapa

London, January 17, 2014

St. Piran's Oratory. Photo taken between 1892 and 1909 St. Piran's Oratory. Photo taken between 1892 and 1909
Archaeological excavations on the site of one of the most ancient surviving Christian shrines of Britain will soon begin. This is St. Piran's Oratory (Chapel) near Perranporth, Cornwall, in the south-west of England, reports Sedmitza.ru, citing KIPA/Apis.

The building, constructed in the 5th or 6th century, was covered with sand and surrounded by a concrete silo in 1980 to protect it from foul weather. Now the specialists have given the "green light" to carry out excavation work, which is to begin in February or March of 2014.

The Oratory of St. Piran is considered to be the oldest stone Christian church in Britain. Its remains were discovered late in the 18th century. In 1835 and 1843 the first excavation work was carried out here, during which several human skeletons were found, one of them headless.

According to the tradition, the oratory was built by Holy Abbot Piran (+ C. 480, commemorated March 5/18), who is venerated as the patron-saint of Cornwall, along with St. Petroc and the Holy Archangel Michael. The flag of Cornwall, depicting a white cross on a black background, is called "St. Piran's flag".

St. Piran came to these lands from Ireland. According to tradition, Irish pagans tied a millstone around his neck and threw him off the cliff into the stormy sea. The sea calmed immediately and St. Piran reached the sandy beaches of Cornwall, which are called Perranzabuloe today. St. Piran had lived as a hermit near Padstow until the local Christians came to know about him. They came to him and asked him to found the monastery that came to be known as Lanpiran. St. Piran became its abbot.

St. Piran is considered the patron-saint of tin mining. Cornwall was known for its tin production even before its occupation by the Romans. The historical tin mining district is known as the “stannaries”, from the Latin word for tin. According to the tradition, the saint was buried in Perranzabuloe. Afterwards his relics were discovered and distributed to different churches.

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The oldest church building in England, which has remained almost completely intact, is the tiny Church of St. Peter's-on-the-Wall, in the little town of Bradwell-on-Sea, in the county of Essex. This church was built by Holy Hierarch Cedd, enlightener of Essex, in 654. The oldest wooden church in England is St. Andrew's Church in the village of Greensted in Essex. The walls of its wooden nave date back from the 9th or 10th century. This church also claims to be the oldest existing wooden church building in the world and one of the most ancient wooden structures in Europe.

Dmitry Lapa

1/21/2014

See also
St Kenneth, Abbot of Aghaboe in Ireland St Kenneth, Abbot of Aghaboe in Ireland
Commemorated: October 11/24 St Kenneth, Abbot of Aghaboe in Ireland St Kenneth, Abbot of Aghaboe in Ireland
Commemorated: October 11/24
Dmitry Lapa
St. Kenneth became renowned for his sermons, which were full of inspiration and rated very highly by his contemporaries. Among other things, the saint was a well-known spiritual poet and theologian as well. These written works include commentaries on all four Gospels, known as the “Chain of St. Canice”. Saint Ninian of Whithorn, Apostle of the Southern Picts, Wonderworker Saint Ninian of Whithorn, Apostle of the Southern Picts, Wonderworker
Commemorated August 26/September 8 Saint Ninian of Whithorn, Apostle of the Southern Picts, Wonderworker Saint Ninian of Whithorn, Apostle of the Southern Picts, Wonderworker
Commemorated August 26/September 8
Dmitry Lapa
The future saint was most probably born in the second half of the fourth century—perhaps in about 360. He belonged to the so-called “Roman-British” tradition of early British Christianity. His native land was most likely Cumbria; at least it is nearly certain that he was born south of Hadrian’s Wall in today’s northern England. His father, according to some sources, was a local Christian ruler. Saint Oswald of Northumbria, King and Martyr Saint Oswald of Northumbria, King and Martyr
Commemorated August 5/18 Saint Oswald of Northumbria, King and Martyr Saint Oswald of Northumbria, King and Martyr
Commemorated August 5/18
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Once Sts. Oswald and Aidan were sitting at the same table on Easter Day. Servants brought the king the royal meal on a large, silver dish. Suddenly one servant informed him that a great multitude of beggars had gathered in the neighbouring streets, waiting for alms from the king. The king at once ordered all the food to be given to the beggars as well as to break the dish into pieces and give them to the needy. St. Aidan then took Oswald by his right arm and exclaimed: “May this arm be incorrupt forever”. Melangell With A Thousand Angels Melangell With A Thousand Angels
Commemorated May 27/June 9 Melangell With A Thousand Angels Melangell With A Thousand Angels
Commemorated May 27/June 9
Nun Nectaria (McLees)
Little known outside Wales and Great Britain, the secluded Welsh shrine of St. Melangel, deep in the Berwyn Mountains, is dedicated to a sixth-century Irishwoman, an anchorite who lived here for many years, alone and unknown. An early Christian treasure, it is the oldest existing Romanesque shrine in northern Europe. Holy Hierarch David, Patron Saint of Wales Holy Hierarch David, Patron Saint of Wales
Commemorated March 1/14 Holy Hierarch David, Patron Saint of Wales Holy Hierarch David, Patron Saint of Wales
Commemorated: March1/14
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The abbot led the same simple life as his monks and worked as hard as any of them. All the community members wore simple clothes and all their belongings were held in common. Voluntary poverty and the refusal of all possessions were among the main rules of the monastery. St. David himself, like many other Celtic saints, used to retreat to the river to read the whole Psalter, standing in cold river water even in winter. Bede’s World: Early Christianity in the British Isles Bede’s World: Early Christianity in the British Isles Bede’s World: Early Christianity in the British Isles Bede’s World: Early Christianity in the British Isles
Fr. John Nankivell, pastor of the Greek Orthodox Church of the Nativity of the Mother of God in Walsall, West Midlands, spent over thirty years teaching chemistry and religious studies before retiring as principal of Joseph Chamberlain College in Central Birmingham to take on a full-time ministry. His first book, Saint Wilfrid, on Wilfrid of York was published in 2002, and he has served as chaplain on a number of occasions to the annual Friends of Orthodoxy on Iona pilgrimage.

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