Saint Piran

Cornwall’s National Patron

Saint Piran became Cornwall’s national patron saint years ago because of his great popularity with Cornish tin miners. It is possible Piran liked his drink as tin miners used to call people who drank too much ‘perraners’, but it might only be that they celebrated his saint’s day rather too much! Piran was said to have discovered tin smelting when he noticed the shiny-white molten metal coming out of a black stone behind the fire in his monk’s cell. That is said to be why Cornwall’s national flag of Saint Piran is a white cross on a black background.

However, Saint Petroc was an extremely significant saint, founding important monasteries at Padstow and Bodmin. Also Saint Michael the Archangel has been traditionally known as the Protector of Cornwall. So Cornwall is unusual in being blessed with no less than three patron saints in Piran, Petroc and Michael.

Piran is thought to be the same saint as Saint Ciaran who lived in Saighir, a place in Ireland in the province of Leinster. Before Piran was born, his mother had a vision of a star falling into her mouth, a way of God telling her that her son was going to be great. The young Piran is said to have gone to Rome to learn the Christian faith, being made a bishop there and meeting Saint Patrick on his way home. Patrick gave him instructions about where he was to work.

When Piran returned and was wondering where to build his little monk’s cell, a ferocious wild pig leapt out of the woods and surprised him. However, the wild pig was as startled as Piran was and ran off. It came back later, however, and made friends with Piran, pulling logs out of the wood for him to use to build his cell and flattening the ground for it with his strong trotters. Other animals too tamely came out of the woods to make friends Piran – a fox, a badger, a wolf and a female deer. Piran regarded them and the wild pig as his first monks.

One day the fox decided he didn’t want to be a monk anymore. He stole Piran’s sandals and ran off with them, planning to make a meal of them later. Piran sent the badger after him to get them back. The badger found the fox in his cave and had a terrible fight with him, before the fox gave in and came back with the badger to face Piran. Piran was pleased to get his sandals back, but gave the fox a good telling off. Piran then forgave the fox, and told him not to steal his sandals again.

One story says that Piran was later thrown off a cliff in Leinster with a millstone tied around his neck in a raging storm on the orders of an evil king. However, the wind and waves dropped, the stone miraculously floated, and Piran then drifted on it to the shores of Cornwall, landing at Perran Sands. It was there that Piran built his tiny chapel, which today is buried beneath one of the sand dunes there, but soon to be excavated.

Every March a huge procession takes place across the sands to Piran’s buried church to give thanks for his helping to bring Christianity to Cornwall’s shores.