Coordinates: 50°23′49″N 4°18′32″W / 50.397°N 4.309°W
| Church of St Germanus, St Germans | |
|---|---|
St German's priory church, St Germans |
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| Basic information | |
| Location | St Germans, Cornwall |
| Affiliation | Anglican |
| District | Archdeaconry of Bodmin Diocese of Truro |
| Year consecrated | 1261 |
| Ecclesiastical status | Parish church |
| Architectural description | |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Architectural style | Norman and Gothic |
| Specifications | |
| Materials | Stone and rubble |
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 a Saxon building which was the cathedral of the Bishops of Cornwall. The monastery was reorganized by the Bishop of Exeter between 1161 and 1184 as an Augustinian priory and the new church was built on a grand scale, with two western towers and a nave of 102 ft. The western doorway is particularly ornate and is carved from elvan quarried at Landrake.[1]
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 shortlived, however, as it was transferred to Crediton in 1042 AD.
A monastery grew alongside the church, and this remained until the Reformation when the monastery 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.
At Dupath Well the wellhouse is said to have been built in 1510 by the monks of St Germans.
St Germans parish is still the largest in Cornwall, and some of the original Norman features remain, including the large arched doorway.
See also
Gallery
 Tower |
 Interior |
 West door |
References
- ^ Sedding, Edmund H. (1909) Norman Architecture in Cornwall: a handbook to old ecclesiastical architecture. London: Ward & Co.; pp. 135-152
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