St Levan's Church, St Levan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Levan Church, St Levan |
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St Levan Church
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| 50°02′33″N 05°39′36″W / 50.04250°N 5.66000°W | |
| OS grid reference | SW380222 |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Churchmanship | Broad Church |
| History | |
| Dedication | Selevan, or Salomon |
| Administration | |
| Parish | St Levan, Penwith |
| Archdeaconry | Cornwall |
| Diocese | Truro |
| Province | Canterbury |
St Levan Church is a historic church in the village of St Levan, located in Cornwall, United Kingdom. It belongs to the Church of England. For a long time, until 1864, it was a smaller church connected to the main church in St Buryan. Today, it is part of a group of churches that includes St Buryan and St Sennen.
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History of St Levan Church
The church of St Levan is very old, dating back to the Middle Ages. It was largely rebuilt in the 1100s. Later, in the 1400s, it was made even bigger. In 1874, the church was carefully restored by an architect named J. D. Sedding. He worked to make it look more like its original medieval design.
Who was St Levan?
The church is named after St Levan, also known as Selevan. He was a Cornishman and the father of another saint, Kybi. St Levan likely lived a very long time ago, possibly in the 500s or 600s. There are places in France that might also be connected to this same saint.
On the cliffs near St Levan Church, you can find St Levan's Well. Below it are what might be the remains of his old chapel. A historian named William Borlase wrote about these ruins in his book Antiquities.
A Time of Change: The 1549 Rebellion
In 1549, there was a big event called the Prayer Book Rebellion. This was a time when people in England were unhappy about changes to church services. A local priest from St Levan, William Alsa, was involved in this rebellion.
Church Bells
The church tower holds three bells. The oldest bell was made in 1641 by John Beaskam. Another bell was added in 1754 by Abel Rudhall. The newest bell dates from 1881 and was made by Mears & Stainbank.
Ancient Stone Crosses
In 1896, a researcher named Langdon wrote about six old stone crosses found in the St Levan area. Two of these ancient crosses are located right in the churchyard.
Beautiful Stained Glass Window
The church has a beautiful stained glass window in the chancel, which is the area near the altar. This window was created by Joseph Bell and Son from Bristol and was put in place in March 1880. The window shows Jesus holding a child, with St Peter and St John on either side. It was put there to remember Achile Baglehole, who sadly died after falling from the cliffs at Land's End in July 1879.
