St German's Priory
Encyclopedia
St German's Priory is a large Norman
church in the village of St Germans in south-east Cornwall
, in the United Kingdom
.
The present church replaces an Anglo-Saxon building which was the cathedral of the Bishops of Cornwall
. The church is dedicated to St Germanus
and soon after construction it became the cathedral for Cornwall
in 926 AD, when King Athelstan appointed Conan
as the bishop of Cornwall. The bishopric was to be short-lived, however, as it was transferred to Crediton
in 1042 AD. A monastery
grew alongside the church, and was reorganized by the Bishop of Exeter between 1161 and 1184 as an Augustinian priory. The priory church was rebuilt on a grand scale, with two western towers and a nave of 102 ft.
At the Dissolution of the Monasteries under King Henry VIII the priory was abolished and its buildings became a private house
, home to the Eliot family
, in whose hands the house remains. A number of the Eliot family are interred in the church.
St Germans parish was once the largest in Cornwall
.
remain, including the large arched western doorway which is particularly ornate and is carved from elvan
quarried at Landrake
.
At Dupath Well
the wellhouse is said to have been built in 1510 by the monks of St Germans.
Norman architecture
About|Romanesque architecture, primarily English|other buildings in Normandy|Architecture of Normandy.File:Durham Cathedral. Nave by James Valentine c.1890.jpg|thumb|200px|The nave of Durham Cathedral demonstrates the characteristic round arched style, though use of shallow pointed arches above the...
church in the village of St Germans in south-east Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
, in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
History
According to a credible tradition the church here was founded by St Germanus himself ca. 430 AD. The first written record however is of Conan being made Bishop in the Church of St German's as a result of King Athelstan's conquest of Cornwall. The fixing of the see here shows that the Celtic monastery was already of great importance. Possession of two holdings of land in the parishes of Landrake ("Landerhtun") and Landulph ("Tinieltun" i.e. Tinnel) was confirmed by King Canute in 1018; they had been granted by King Edmund. Both holdings remained in the monastery's possession until 1538. In 1042 the see was moved to Crediton and the lands of the monastery were divided into two parts, one for the monastery and one (named Cuddenbeak) for the Bishop of Crediton. After the Norman Conquest a college of secular canons was established which is said to have been reconstituted in the time of Bishop Bartholomew (1161-1184) as a college of regular canons.The present church replaces an Anglo-Saxon building which was the cathedral of the Bishops of Cornwall
Bishop of Cornwall
The Bishop of Cornwall was an episcopal title which was used by Anglo Saxons between the 9th and 11th centuries. The bishop's seat was located at the village of St Germans, Cornwall. Later bishops of Cornwall were sometimes referred to as the bishops of St Germans...
. The church is dedicated to St Germanus
Germanus of Auxerre
Germanus of Auxerre was a bishop of Auxerre in Gaul. He is a saint in both the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches, commemorated on July 31. He visited Britain in around 429 and the records of this visit provide valuable information on the state of post-Roman British society...
and soon after construction it became the cathedral for Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
in 926 AD, when King Athelstan appointed Conan
Conan of Cornwall
Conan was a medieval Bishop of Cornwall.He was nominated about 926 by King Athelstan. He was consecrated before 931. He died between 937 and 955.-References:...
as the bishop of Cornwall. The bishopric was to be short-lived, however, as it was transferred to Crediton
Crediton
Crediton is a town and civil parish in the Mid Devon district of Devon in England. It stands on the A377 Exeter to Barnstaple road at the junction with the A3072 road to Tiverton, about north west of Exeter. It has a population of 6,837...
in 1042 AD. A monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
grew alongside the church, and was reorganized by the Bishop of Exeter between 1161 and 1184 as an Augustinian priory. The priory church was rebuilt on a grand scale, with two western towers and a nave of 102 ft.
Port Eliot
Port Eliot in St Germans, Cornwall, is the seat of the Eliot family, whose current head is Peregrine Eliot, 10th Earl of St Germans. Port Eliot comprises a house with its own church which is the parish church of St Germans. An earlier church building was the cathedral for the whole of Cornwall...
, home to the Eliot family
Port Eliot
Port Eliot in St Germans, Cornwall, is the seat of the Eliot family, whose current head is Peregrine Eliot, 10th Earl of St Germans. Port Eliot comprises a house with its own church which is the parish church of St Germans. An earlier church building was the cathedral for the whole of Cornwall...
, in whose hands the house remains. A number of the Eliot family are interred in the church.
St Germans parish was once the largest in Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
.
Architecture
Some of the original Norman featuresNorman architecture
About|Romanesque architecture, primarily English|other buildings in Normandy|Architecture of Normandy.File:Durham Cathedral. Nave by James Valentine c.1890.jpg|thumb|200px|The nave of Durham Cathedral demonstrates the characteristic round arched style, though use of shallow pointed arches above the...
remain, including the large arched western doorway which is particularly ornate and is carved from elvan
Elvan
Elvan is a name used in Cornwall and Devon for the native varieties of quartz-porphyry. They are dispersed irregularly in the Upper Devonian series of rocks and some of them make very fine building stones...
quarried at Landrake
Landrake
Landrake is a village in southeast Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is situated approximately three miles west of Saltash in the civil parish of Landrake with St Erney...
.
At Dupath Well
Dupath Well
Dupath Well is a nearly intact wellhouse, constructed of local granite, built over a spring. Built of Cornish granite ashlar, it has a steeply-pitched roof, built from courses of granite slabs that run the length of the building. There are badly weathered pinnacles at each corner and a small bell...
the wellhouse is said to have been built in 1510 by the monks of St Germans.
Further reading
- Henderson, Charles (1929) Records of the Church and Priory of St. Germans in Cornwall. Shipston-on-Stour: “King’s Stone” Press