St Petroc's Church, Bodmin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Petroc's Church, Bodmin |
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St Petroc's Church, Bodmin, from the southwest
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| 50°28′17″N 4°43′00″W / 50.4714°N 4.7168°W | |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic, currently Church of England |
| Churchmanship | High |
| History | |
| Dedication | St Petroc |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Bodmin |
| Deanery | Trigg Minor |
| Archdeaconry | Bodmin |
| Diocese | Truro |
| Province | Canterbury |
St Petroc's Church, Bodmin, also known as Bodmin Parish Church, is an old and important church in Bodmin, Cornwall, England. It is one of the biggest churches in Cornwall.
The church building you see today was mostly built between 1469 and 1472. For a long time, it was the largest church in Cornwall, until Truro Cathedral was built. It started as a Roman Catholic church. Later, during the English Reformation, it became an Anglican (Church of England) church.
The church has an old tower from the original Norman church. This tower stands on the north side. The top part of the tower was added in the 15th century. It used to be 150 feet tall with a spire. The spire was lost in 1699. The church has been repaired and updated several times, including in Victorian times and in 1930. Today, it is a Grade I listed building, which means it's very important historically. A special part of the church is the Regimental Chapel for the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry, added in 1933.
The Bodmin church parish now works with other nearby parishes. These include Cardinham, Lanivet, and Lanhydrock. There is also a small chapel in Nanstallon.
Contents
Exploring St Petroc's Church
St Petroc's Church has many interesting things to see. You can find old monuments and beautiful carvings.
Special Memorials and Tombs
Inside the church, there are several important memorials. One is a black Delabole slate stone. It remembers Richard Durant, his wives, and his twenty children. The carving on it is in low relief, which means it slightly sticks out from the surface.
You can also see a very old ivory casket from the 12th century. People believe it once held special items belonging to St Petroc himself.
Prior Vyvyan's Tomb
One of the most famous tombs is that of Prior Thomas Vyvyan. He was a leader at Bodmin Priory, which was a monastery. His tomb used to be in the Priory Church. It shows his statue lying on a chest. The tomb is made from black Catacleuse stone and grey marble.
Thomas Vyvyan was made a bishop in 1517. This meant he could help the Bishop of Exeter in Cornwall. He also built a nice home for himself at Rialton around 1510. Even after the Reformation, his tomb was saved and moved to the parish church.
The Baptismal Font
The church has a large and beautifully carved baptismal font. It dates back to the 12th century. This type of font is common in Cornwall. However, the one at Bodmin is the biggest and most decorated of its kind. You can see similar fonts in other places like Altarnun.
Amazing Woodwork
The church has some wonderful old wooden features.
Screen, Pulpit, and Bench-Ends
In 1491, a craftsman named Matthy More worked on the church. He added new seating and built the rood screen and pulpit. This work took him four years to finish. Parts of his original work are still here today. You can see them in the bench-ends (the ends of the pews) and panels. These pieces have been reused in other parts of the church. They are in the Corporation seats, wall panels, the reredos (a screen behind the altar), the pulpit, and a newer screen.
Hidden Misericords
The church has three special wooden carvings called misericords. These carvings are from the late 15th century. They are unusual because they are now part of the lectern (a stand for reading). They were likely moved from their original seats, which might not have even been in St Petroc's Church. Experts think this move happened sometime in the 18th century.
Church Bells
St Petroc's Church has a set of eight bells. The largest bell, called the tenor bell, weighs about 17 hundredweight.
The Church Organ
The church organ was first put in place in 1775 by Brice Seede. Over the years, it has been repaired and updated. Hele & Co worked on it in 1885 and 1936. Percy Daniel also made changes in 1931. You can find more details about the organ on the National Pipe Organ Register.
Churchyard Features
The churchyard around St Petroc's is very large and sits on a slope.
- The Chapel of St Thomas Becket is a ruin in the southeast part of the churchyard. This building dates back to the 14th century.
- St Guron's Well is a small granite building. It is located at the western entrance to the churchyard.
A Look Back at History
The early history of the monastery in Bodmin is not fully clear. However, the name "Bodmin" comes from a Cornish word meaning "house of the monks." This suggests a monastery was there a long time ago.
Tradition says that Saint Petroc founded a monastery in Bodmin in the 6th century. He is also linked to a monastery in Padstow. Bodmin may have been started as a "daughter house" of Padstow after St Petroc died. Some stories say St Guron was there before him.
King Athelstan is also sometimes said to have founded the monastery. But it probably existed before his time. It was destroyed in a Danish raid in 981 AD. However, it must have been rebuilt. It owned a lot of land during the time of King Edward the Confessor.
The Domesday Book (a very old record from 1086) shows that the monastery still held 18 manors (large estates). These included Bodmin, Padstow, and Rialton. Some of its lands had been taken by the Count of Mortain.
Around 1120, William Warelwast, who was the Bishop of Exeter, started a house of Augustinian canons here. These were priests who lived in a community. In 1177, St Petroc's relics (special items) were stolen. They were later found and returned to Prior Roger. The ivory casket that held them is still around today.
During the time of King Henry VIII, the priory was closed down. The land was given to Thomas Sternhold. Before this, the canons used the choir part of the church. The local people used the nave (the main body of the church). John Leland, a writer, noted that different groups had used the church over time. These included monks, nuns, secular priests, and canons. He also wrote that the priory buildings were at the east-southeast end of the churchyard. Some old stone pieces from these buildings have been found. They are now kept at Priory House.
Parish Connections
St Petroc's Church is part of a group of parishes. This means it shares resources and clergy with other churches. The churches in this group are:
- St Hydroc's Church, Lanhydrock
- Lanivet Church
- St Stephen's Church, Nanstallon (which is a chapel-of-ease, meaning it's a smaller church for local people)
