Materiana of Cornwall

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Materiana is a Welsh saint and princess of the fifth century who is patron of two churches in Cornwall and one in Wales. Alternative spellings are Madrun, Madryn, Merthiana, and Mertheriana [1] She is commemorated by the church April 9

Life

She was the eldest of three daughters of King Vortimer the Blessed and after her father's death ruled over Gwent with her husband Prince Ynyr. It is believed that she reposed early in the sixth century, the date is unknown, at Minster of Cornwall.

The mother church of Boscastle is Minster, dedicated to Materiana, and nestling among the trees of Minster Wood in the valley of the River Valency half-a-mile east of Boscastle. The Celtic name of Minster was Talkarn but it was renamed Minster in Anglo-Saxon times because of a monastery on the site. Until the Anglican Reformation of 1752, Materiana's tomb was preserved in this church. Traditions of the saint were recorded by William Worcestre in 1478 who states that her tomb was venerated at Minster and that her feast day was April 9.

Notes

  1. The name was corrupted to Marcelliana in medieval times.

See also