Saint Materiana

Saint Materiana (also spelled Madrun, Madryn, Merteriana, Merthiana, and other variations) is a Welsh saint, patron of two churches in Cornwall and one in Wales.

Saint Materiana
Banner of St Materiana in Minster Church
Bornc. 440
Gwent, Wales
Diedearly 6th century (?)
Minster, Cornwall
Venerated inAnglican Communion
Catholic Church
Major shrineMinster, Cornwall
Feast9 April
Attributescrown; widow's robe
PatronageMinster, Cornwall
Tintagel, Cornwall
Trawsfynydd, Wales

Life

The name Materiana was corrupted to "Marcelliana" in medieval times. Another spelling of her name sometimes used is "Mertheriana" or "Merthiana", resembling the Welsh merthyr - "martyr". Matrona was a widespread Roman name, and there is no evidence of any purported connection with a pre-Christian goddess named Modron. Materiana is said to have been a princess of the 5th century, the eldest of three daughters of King Vortimer the Blessed, who, after her father's death, ruled over Gwent with her husband Prince Ynyr.

Veneration

The Hymn to St Materiana in use at Tintagel calls her "Materiana, holy Mother" and prays her to "Over thy people still preside, over thy household, clothed in scarlet vesture of love and holy pride" and continues "Thy children rise and call thee blessed, gathered around thee at thy side." The 'Hymn to St Materiana' is not an ancient hymn, and of Anglican use.

Minster church
The rood screen of St Materiana's Church, Tintagel (on the left is the banner portraying St Materiana, designed by Sir Ninian Comper)

Materiana's primary patronal church is the parish church of Minster, dedicated under the name "Merteriana." The churches were established some time earlier than the settlement at Boscastle (in Norman times when a castle was built there). Until the Reformation, St Materiana's tomb was preserved in the church. Traditions of the saint were recorded by William Worcestre in 1478: he states that her tomb was venerated at Minster and that her feast day was 9 April.[1] The parish feast traditionally celebrated at Tintagel was 19 October, the feast day of St Denys, patron of the chapel at Trevena.

Tintagel church

The first church at Tintagel was probably in the 6th century, founded as a daughter church of Minster. The current St Materiana's Church was restored by architect James Piers St Aubynin 1870. The north doorway dates to around 1080.[2] There are two memorials which portray St Materiana: a statue in the chancel and a stained glass window in the nave. The Cornish historian Charles Thomas proposed that the Norman church of Tintagel and its dedication to St Materiana were due to the patronage of William de Bottreaux, lord of Boscastle rather than the Earl of Cornwall.[3]

Trawsfynydd church
St Madryn's Church, Trawsfynydd (likely dedicated to St Materiana)

The parish church at Trawsfynydd is dedicated to a St Madryn, Princess of Gwent, who is usually identified with Materiana.[4]

See also
  • Puerto Madryn—a town in Argentina named after Madryn, Nefyn, Wales
  • Carn Fadrun—a hill in North Wales named after the saint
  • Nefyn—a town in North Wales (the Madryn estate is nearby)

References
  1. Canner, A. C. (1982) The Parish of Tintagel. Camelford: A. C. Canner; pp. 32-33
  2. "St Materiana, Tintagel restored by James Piers St. Aubyn", The Victorian Web
  3. Thomas, Charles (1993) Tintagel, Arthur and Archaeology ISBN 0-7134-6690-1; pp. 19-20
  4. "EBK: St. Madrun". Earlybritishkingdoms.com. Retrieved 6 April 2020.

Further reading
  • Canner, A. C. (1982) The Parish of Tintagel. Camelford: A. C. Canner; pp. 5–6, 94-95

Media related to Saint Materiana churches in the United Kingdom at Wikimedia Commons

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