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 ? , 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 ?, lies buried one of the oldest churches in these islands, his
chapel at Perranzabuloc. 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.
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