5 March is St Piran’s Day, the feast day of the patron saint of Cornwall. But who was St Piran, and what do we know about him? This is the story.
Piran in Cornwall
Piran, historically spelt Perran, is said to have been born in Ireland during the fifth or sixth century. He was a holy man who is credited with bringing Christianity to Cornwall, soon after the Romans left Britain. One story relates that he was a disciple of St Patrick, but fell out with a king in Ireland and went into exile.
According to an unlikely legend, he was bound to a millstone and cast into the stormy sea from an Irish cliff, but miraculously floated to Cornwall’s north coast. Others say he came by coracle from south Wales.
Whichever way he arrived, he settled on the beach near what was later called Perranporth, on the north coast of Cornwall, just south-west of Newquay, where he built a small hermitage. At first, it was said that his earliest followers were wild animals. Soon, people came from far and wide to hear him preach, and a monastic community developed, known as Lanpiran.
During his lifetime and afterwards, Piran and his disciples took the gospel across Cornwall. According to one tradition, Piran was martyred, while others say he died of old age. Piran was never formally canonised, but he is known as St Piran, and the anniversary of his death on 5 March has been kept as his saint’s day since ancient times.
Land of Saints
As a result of this evangelisation, Cornwall became known as the “Land of Saints”, and there are over a hundred Celtic saints of Cornish origin. They took the gospel up-country into Devon and across the sea to Brittany. Evidence of their presence is found in the stone crosses and churches scattered across the countryside. Many of these saints have places named after them, such as St Austell, St Ives, St Just, St Buryan, and St Neot. St Piran himself is remembered in the many Cornish place names in west Cornwall that include “Perran”.
Pilgrimages
A chapel on the site of Piran’s hermitage was used for centuries, until it was lost to the sands. A larger church was built a few hundred yards inland, to which St Piran’s relics were moved — perhaps reminding us of Jesus’s parable of building on sand (Matthew 7:24–27). Before the Reformation, this became one of the major pilgrimage sites in south-western England.
This church was used until 1795, when it too was lost to the sands, and the current church of St Piran at nearby Perranzabuloe was built and dedicated to St Piran in 1805.
In 2014, the original chapel, known as St Piran’s Oratory, was rediscovered and excavated by the St Piran Trust. It is one of the oldest known Christian sites in Britain. Today, people can once again make pilgrimages down to the oratory in the sand dunes at Perranporth, from St Piran’s Cross, which was an ancient pilgrimage route marker.
Churches dedicated to St Piran
Places where St Piran went are perhaps suggested by ancient churches dedicated to him as their founder. As well as Perranzabuloe, the places of Perranuthnoe near Penzance and Perranarworthal near Truro in west Cornwall are named after St Piran, and their parish churches are dedicated to him. There is also a historic chapel dedicated to St Piran at Trethevy, near Tintagel.
There were also holy wells named after him. There are two places called Perranwell - one near Perranzabuloe and one near Perranarworthal - and another holy well at Trethevy.
There was once an ancient church dedicated to St Piran in Cardiff, in south Wales. It was later demolished, and Duke Street Arcade near Cardiff Castle was built on the site in 1902.
Brittany
Historically, Cornwall had strong links with Brittany, and the Cornish (Kernewek) and Breton (Brezhoneg) languages are both Celtic and share a high degree of similarity. Many Cornish saints took the gospel across to Brittany. St Piran is also remembered there, where he is known as Saint-Péran in French. In Lower Brittany, at Trézilidé (Trezelide), the parish church (Église de Saint-Péran) is dedicated to him. In Upper Brittany, there is the town of Saint-Péran, named after a former local priory and abbey dedicated to the saint.
Patron saint of tin miners
Cornwall was long known for tin mining and exported tin all over the world. The tin mining industry is believed to date back thousands of years, with tin traded with ancient Phoenicia even before the Romans arrived. A legend associated with St Piran is that he rediscovered tin smelting. The story goes that he used a large black slab of Cornish rock as his hearthstone. As his fire blazed, a vein of silver-white tin oozed out and formed a white cross on the black background. This became his emblem, known as St Piran’s Cross, and St Piran became regarded as the patron saint of tin miners. Over time, he also became a symbol of Cornwall and, since the twelfth century, has been considered its patron saint.
St Piran’s Flag
The patron saints St George, St Andrew, and St Patrick each have their own crosses, which were used as flags and later combined to make the flag of the United Kingdom. With their own Celtic past and language, many Cornish people consider themselves to have a distinct national identity, and in 2014 the Cornish were granted official ethnic minority status. Since at least the early nineteenth century, the white cross on a black background, known as St Piran’s Cross, has been used as the flag of Cornwall. It can be seen flying from public buildings and displayed on cars.
St Piran’s Day
Although saints’ days were abolished at the Reformation, St Piran’s Day was often still given as a day off for tin miners and became a national day for Cornish communities, both within and beyond Cornwall. Today, St Piran’s Day is marked with processions, in which people parade banners and flags. Many community events, concerts, and cultural activities are held across Cornwall, and these celebrations have grown increasingly popular over the years.
In 2011, the Bishop of Truro instigated an award called the “Cross of St Piran”, made from Cornish silver. It is given in recognition of the selfless work of lay people in the diocese. Each year, on or around St Piran’s Day, it is awarded by the bishop during a ceremony in St Piran’s Church in Perranzabuloe.
Legacy
Evidence of Cornwall’s long Christian heritage can be seen throughout the county in its standing Celtic crosses, parish churches, nonconformist chapels, and the many flags bearing St Piran’s Cross that are flown around Cornwall, especially on St Piran’s Day.
Collect
There is an Anglican collect prayer for St Piran’s Day. In the Cornish language it is:
“A Dhuw, neb a dhanvonas dha servyas Peran dhe lavurya yn Kernow rag dha wlaskor:
Gront dhyn yn truedhek may lavurryn yn lel ragos jy avel kesoberoryon gans dha Vab Yesu Krist;
neb a vyw ha reynya genes jy yn unses an Spyrys Sans, unn Duw, trank heb worfen. Amen.”
Or in English:
“O God, who sent your servant Piran to work in Cornwall for your kingdom: mercifully grant that we may faithfully labour for you as fellow-workers of your Son Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.”
