St Materiana's Church, Tintagel facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Materiana's Church, Tintagel |
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Tintagel Parish Church
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| 50°39′47″N 4°45′35″W / 50.6630°N 4.7597°W | |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Churchmanship | High Church |
| Website | www.achurchnearyou.com |
| History | |
| Dedication | St Materiana |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Tintagel |
| Deanery | Stratton |
| Archdeaconry | Bodmin |
| Diocese | Truro |
| Province | Canterbury |
The Parish Church of Saint Materiana in Tintagel, England, is a historic Church of England church. It stands proudly on the cliffs between the village of Trevena and Tintagel Castle. This church is considered very important, which is why it is listed as Grade I – this means it's a building of exceptional historical interest.
The very first church on this spot was likely built around the 6th century. It was probably started as a "daughter church" of Minster. These are the only churches dedicated to Saint Materiana. She is often thought to be Madryn, a princess from Gwent, but some also believe the name might refer to Saint Marcellina, who was the sister of Saint Ambrose.
Contents
Exploring the Church Building
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The church you see today might have been built in the late 11th or early 12th century. An art expert named Nikolaus Pevsner thought its design from the Norman period also has some older Saxon features. The church tower might be from the 13th or 15th century.
A big change happened in 1870 during a "Victorian restoration" by Piers St Aubyn. This included adding a new roof. Later, the pipe organ was moved twice, and new stained glass windows were added. Many of these windows show saints, like St Materiana, St George, and St Piran. Inside, you can also see three modern copies of famous old paintings. There's even a Roman milestone from the time of Emperor Licinius (who died in 324 AD). The tower has six bells, with the oldest from 1735 and the newest from 1945. Today, an electric organ is used instead of the pipe organ.
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Both the north and south doorways of the church are from the Norman period. The north doorway is simpler and might be older. The north porch probably dates from the 14th century, and the south porch was rebuilt later, but was originally from the 13th century.
The font, which is used for baptisms, is also Norman. It's carved quite simply from a type of stone called elvan. Each of its four sides has carvings of snakes, and each corner has a carved head. Three of the windows are also Norman. The largest of the other windows shows St George. The walls in the central part of the church were meant to hold a tower, but it was either never built or taken down because it wasn't safe. You can also see a stone coffin lid, which might be from a priest from the late 13th century.
The Chancel: Sacred Space
The rood screen, a carved wooden screen that used to separate the main part of the church from the altar area, is from the 15th century. Its top part was removed, likely during the Reformation (a time of big changes in the church).
The small alcove in the south wall is called the Founder's Tomb and is probably from the 14th century. The east window is newer and remembers Fr. Canner, who was the vicar (church leader) from 1950 to 1976. On the north wall, there's a statue of the church's patron saint, St Materiana. This statue remembers Parson Chapman, who was vicar from 1894 to 1916. The small chapel on the north side of the chancel is the old Lady Chapel. It's hard to say exactly when it was built, but it must be newer than the chancel. It has a medieval stone altar. The space on the north side used to hold the organ but is now used as a vestry (a room where priests prepare).
The Transepts: Side Wings
The altar in the north transept (a part of the church that sticks out like a wing) is modern. It was first dedicated to All Saints, but it's now usually called the St Symphorian altar because of the window behind it. The window shows St Symphorian as a bishop, even though he wasn't one. His connection to this area seems to be a mistake made by an old writer named John Leland. The north window also remembers John Douglas Cook, who was an editor of a newspaper called the Saturday Review. He is buried in the churchyard nearby.
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The south transept is a bit longer than the north one. It might have been made longer to fit a tomb. A stone bench runs along some of the walls. This is from a time when churches didn't have many seats, so people stood or sat on these benches.
An interesting Roman stone with writing on it is in the south transept. It's from the early 4th century and was found in 1889 built into the churchyard's western gate. It has the name of the Emperor Licinius (who died in 324 AD). There's also a memorial brass for Joan (who died in the 1430s?), the mother of John Kelly. He was a vicar here from 1407 to 1427. This brass was originally under the altar but was moved in 1871.
The Tower: Bell Home
The tower at the west end of the church was built in the 14th century. The decorative battlements at the top were added in the 15th century. The five older bells are from 1735, 1785, 1828, and two from 1868. A sixth bell was added in 1945. The largest bell, called the tenor bell, weighs about 700 pounds. The west window has modern stained glass showing coats of arms related to the history of this area.
The Churchyard: Resting Place
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This churchyard is quite large for Cornwall, and it seems to have been made bigger three times. To the east of the older, round part, there are areas that started being used in the early 1800s and mid-1900s. The north-east part used to be farmland.
The churchyard cross and the war memorial are both modern and made of granite. Most of the gravestones from before the Victorian era are made of local slate. The oldest ones are from between 1690 and 1710. Digs were done here in 1990 and 1991, uncovering more history.
Some interesting memorials include the tomb of John Douglas Cook, who started the Saturday Review newspaper (he died in 1868). His tomb is north-west of the church. There's also a wooden cross over the grave of Domenico Catanese (who died in 1893) to the east. He was a 14-year-old boy who sadly died when a ship called the Iota crashed against the cliffs at Lye Rock. The rest of the crew were saved, but he was not. His grave is marked by a wooden cross with his name.
Interestingly, the cover picture for J. L. Carr's book A Month in the Country shows Tintagel Parish Church, even though the story is set in Yorkshire! Also, a grave outside the churchyard wall was inspired by Tintagel. Several old graves were found here when the Trecarne Lands were being ploughed and were dug up in 1956. Experts believe they date back to between 500 and 1000 AD.
Church Records
The church keeps records of important events. The records for burials started in 1546, for baptisms in 1569, and for marriages in 1588. All the entries up to 1668 were copied by one person from earlier records.
Church Leaders (Vicars)
The first vicar recorded for this church was Gervase de Truueru in 1259. The person who served the longest was Gerance Davye, from 1581 to 1629. The second longest-serving was Richard Byrn Kinsman, from 1851 to 1894. Since 1534, the church's leaders have been chosen by the Dean and Canons of Windsor. Before that, in the 13th and 14th centuries, the French abbey at Fontevrault (now Fontevraud-l'Abbaye) in Anjou chose the vicars.
Parish Group
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St Materiana's Church is part of a group of churches called the Boscastle and Tintagel group of parishes. This group includes:
- St Symphorian's Church, Forrabury
- St Merteriana's Church, Minster
- St Michael and All Angels' Church, Lesnewth
- St Denis' Church, Otterham
- St Julitta's Church, St Juliot
- The Holy Family Church, Treknow
- St Piran's Church, Trethevy
- St Petroc's Church, Trevalga
The parish used to be in the area called Trigg Minor, then Trigg Minor and Bodmin, but now it's in the Stratton deanery.
Images for kids
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Tintagel Parish Church
See also
In Spanish: Iglesia de Santa Materiana (Tintagel) para niños
