medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
On Tue, 4 Mar 2003, Phyllis Jestice wrote:
> medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
>
> Today (5. March---Ash Wednesday) is the feast day of:
>
<snip>
>
> Ciaran of Saighir (5th cent.) Ciaran is one of the pre-Patrician saints of
> Ireland. He was born in West Cork, went to Europe, where he was baptized
> and ordained, and then came back to Ireland to be a hermit and later abbot
> of Saighir (Co. Offaly). Legend reports that he was consecrated bishop by
> Patrick. Legends of Ciaran emphasize his close affinity with wild animals,
> including the tale that his first monks included a wolf, a badger, and a
> fox---but the fox's instinct won out over its piety and it stole C's shoes.
> The badger had to dig the fox out of its lair and drag it to C, whereupon
> it was ordered to do penance.
>
> Piran (d. c. 480) In the Middle Ages, this Cornish saint got confused with
> Ciaran (above). Piran was a monk from Ireland or Wales who settled in
> north Cornwall. His shrine was popular with pilgrims, and his cult was
> also active in Wales and Brittany.
>
>
A bit more about St Piran.
The following is an excerpt from a posting by Jim Thompson on the yahoo
Cornish Family mailing list.
> The
> following is from the Celtic and Old English Saints mailing list. This form
> of Christianity is still practiced and known as British Orthodox
> Christianity.
>
> St. Piran of Padstowe, Monk of Perranporth, Cornwall
> -------------------------------------------------------
> Died 480. In Cornwall and Brittany March 5th is observed as the feast
> of St. Piran or Perran and many scholars have identified him with St.
> Ciaran. Of these John of Tynmouth, who wrote his medieval biography,
> ascribes similar stories to the two saints, if indeed they are two! What
> is certain is that Piran was one of the missionaries which came to
> Cornwall from Ireland and Wales and it seems sensible for us to merely
> record what we know of this saint, who is the most popular of Cornish
> saints and the patron, if not of the Duchy at least of the tinners, as the
> miners are called.
>
> Perranporth is the traditional place of Piran's arrival, in true Celtic
> style on a mill stone according to legend. Inland among the sand dunes,
> or towans, lies buried one of the oldest churches in these islands, his
> chapel at Perranzabuloe. In the Middle Ages relics of the saint who lay
> entombed beneath the altar were shown to pilgrims and it was, with St
> Michaels's Mount, the most frequented of holy places. In the twelfth
> century however the sands were engulfing the ancient edifice and the
> relics had to be removed to another church although the old standing
> cross remained among the dunes. In 1834 the walls were discovered and
> excavated and in 1910 they were encased in a concrete shell to protect
> them but they are now again hidden beneath the sand.
>
> The preaching of this holy man and the miracles granted through him
> brought so many people to God that there are numerous dedications to him
> in Cornwall and in Brittany and South Wales. As you might expect, in
> Cornwall, the places associated with him are in the region of the Fal
> estuary, which was the usual embarkation place for Brittany.
> Perrarworthal has a Perranwell and then there are Perrannthnoe and
> Perran Downs. In Brittany Saint Perran is a small place south of Saint
> Brienc.
>
> St. Piran is believed to have been interested in stones and collected
> various mineral bearing rocks, one particularly large black one he used
> as the hearth for his fire and was amazed when it got very hot a flow of
> metal came out white in colour and in the shape of a cross. This
> appearance of tin not only made him the patron of tinners but also
> suggested his flag, a silver cross on a black ground which is often used
> as the standard of Cornwall and symbolizes the Christian Gospel, light
> out of darkness, good from evil.
>
> * * *
>
> Another Life of St. Piran:
> http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/saintp43.htm
>
> Piran's family origins are obscure; tradition says he came from Ireland.
> Spent his youth in South Wales where he founded a church in Cardiff.
> Received religious schooling @ the monastery of Saint Cadog @
> Llancarfon, where he would have met Saint Finnian. The two returned
> together to Ireland where Finnian founded six monasteries, including his
> most famous one at Clonard. Piran lived there before Saint Enda on Aran
> Island, and then Saint Senan on Scattery Island. Founded his own
> community at Clonmacnoise, "Ireland's University".
>
> Cornish legend says Piran was captured in his old age by pagan Irish,
> jealous of his miraculous powers, especially his ability to heal. They
> tied a millstone around his neck, and threw him off a cliff into the sea
> during a storm. As Piran hit the water the storm abated and the
> millstone bobbed to the surface like a cork. On his stone raft, Piran
> sailed for Cornwall, landed @ Perran Beach, built a small chapel on
> Penhale Sands, and made his first converts - a badger, a fox, and a
> bear. He lived there for years as a hermit, working miracles for the
> locals.
>
> Piran founded churches @ Perran-Uthno and Perran-Arworthal, a chapel @
> Tintagel, and a holy-well called the "Venton-Barren" @ Probus. Made
> trips to Brittany where he worked with Saint Cai. Arthurian tradition
> from Geoffrey of Monmouth says he was chaplain to King Arthur, and
> Archbishop of York after Saint Samson was exiled by Saxon invasions,
> though it's doubtful he ever took up his See.
>
> Piran's patronage of Cornwall derives from his popularity with the
> Cornish tin-miners. Legend says that Piran discovered tin in Cornwall
> when he used a large black rock to build a fireplace, and found that the
> heat made a trickle of pure white metal ooze from the stone. He shared
> this discovery with the locals, providing Cornish with a lucrative
> living. The people were so delighted that they held a sumptuous feast
> where the wine flowed like water. Piran was fond of the odd tipple, and
> resulting in the Cornish phrase "As drunk as a Perraner". The trickled
> of white metal upon a black background remains as the White Cross of
> Saint Piran on the Cornish National flag.
>
> Piran died at his little hermitage near the beach. His relics were a
> great draw to pilgrims but, due to inundation by the sands, they were
> moved inland to the Parish Church of Perran-Zabulo, built to house them.
>
> The Church of Perranzabuloe
> http://homepages.tesco.net/~k.wasley/Perranzab.htm
>
>
--
Bret Busby
Armadale
West Australia
..............
"So once you do know what the question actually is,
you'll know what the answer means."
- Deep Thought,
Chapter 28 of
"The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy:
A Trilogy In Four Parts",
written by Douglas Adams,
published by Pan Books, 1992
....................................................
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