St Mylor's Church, St Mylor Churchtown, Falmouth

A quiet churchyard in a busy seaside town, St. Mylor’s Church has two markers of ancient devotion to merit a modern pilgrimage honoring an early Celtic saint

Highlights

• Holy well in the churchyard
• Early Celtic cross
• Possible location of St. Mylor’s original grave

St. Mylor’s Church is said to have a connection with St. Mylor, possibly the first martyr of the Celtic church. According to the church guide, he arrived as a missionary from Brittany and was killed here in 411, just a year after the Roman army left Britain. His death occurred during the early Dark Ages, a time when the Celtic church was gradually evolving.

While it is difficult to pinpoint a definite Celtic protomartyr, St. Mylor’s Church holds a special aura, enhanced by an ancient Celtic cross and a nearby holy well. The church sits on rocky ground near an estuary, adding to its mystique as an early Celtic outpost.

The cross stands beside the south porch and may mark the original site of St. Mylor’s grave before his relics were transferred to Amesbury Abbey in the 10th century. Standing over 5m tall, the cross was repurposed during the 15th century as a flying buttress for the south wall of the church, with its crosshead buried underground. Restoration in the 1870s revealed it again.

There is speculation that the cross may have originally been a pre-Christian totem, with the cross later carved to replace a pagan symbol. The crosshead has two circular carvings of unknown significance below it. Though already tall, another 2m of the cross is buried underground, indicating it was both a monument and a landmark, likely visible from the estuary.

St. Mylor’s holy well is located 40m from the church, near a small stone gardener’s hut in the churchyard. Water collects in a rectangular pool with a recently restored stone surround. The well was likely used for baptism by the early church, and its water is still used today for baptisms in the church font.

The church is situated near Mylor harbour, which bustled with visitors during my August visit, with the pavement overflowing onto the road. In contrast, the church and its yard were empty, amplifying their tranquility.

As with many Cornish saints, St. Mylor’s history is surrounded by conflicting biographies. One tradition says St. Melor was a local prince who converted to Christianity and was later maimed and beheaded by his pagan uncle, King Renald, for refusing to renounce his faith. Gilbert Doble’s The Saints of Cornwall compiles these various legends about St. Mylor.

Though some uncertainty remains, St. Melor can at least be credited with a definite Cornish connection. Another church and holy well bear his name at Linkinhorne, 40 miles east of Mylor. His saint’s day is celebrated on 1 October.

Directions‍

St. Mylor’s Church, Penarrow Road, Mylor Churchtown, Falmouth TR11 5UF‍

www.stmylor.org.uk‍

W3W: short.geology.rant

GPS: 50.1769N 5.0542W

The church is open to visitors during daylight hours. The tall Celtic cross can be found in the churchyard just outside the main entrance (south door). To find the holy well, take the path by the north door of the church (opposite the Celtic cross). Walk through the churchyard past the flagpole, then turn right where the path forks. The well is on the left, near the stone gardening hut.