St Levan's Church, St Levan

St Levan Church, St Levan is a parish church in the Church of England located in St Levan, Cornwall, United Kingdom. Until 1864 the church was a chapelry of the Royal Peculiar of the Deanery of St Buryan. It is now part of the united benefice of St Buryan and St Sennen.

St Levan Church, St Levan
St Levan Church
50°02′33″N 05°39′36″W
OS grid referenceSW380222
DenominationChurch of England
ChurchmanshipBroad Church
Websitewww.stlevanchurch.org.uk
History
DedicationSelevan, or Salomon
Administration
ProvinceCanterbury
DioceseTruro
ArchdeaconryCornwall
ParishSt Levan, Penwith
St Levan's Church, St Levan is located in Cornwall
St Levan's Church, St Levan
Location of St Levan's Church, St Levan in Cornwall
Listed Building – Grade I
Official nameChurch of Saint Levan
Designated15 December 1988
Reference no.1143872

History

The church of St Levan is medieval.[1] It was heavily rebuilt in the twelfth century and extended in the fifteenth century.[2] In 1874 it was restored by J. D. Sedding to a more medieval appearance.[3]

St Levan (properly Selevan, a Celtic form of Solomon) according to the Life of St Kybi was a Cornishman and the father of Kybi. In the department of Morbihan are four places probably connected to the same saint, who probably lived in the 6th or 7th century. On the cliff at St Levan is St Levan's Well and below it the probable remains of his chapel, which were described by William Borlase in his Antiquities.[4] For more information on the saint see Salomon of Cornwall.

William Alsa, a local priest, was hanged for taking part in the 1549 Prayer Book Rebellion.[3]

Bells

The tower contains three bells dating from 1641 (John Beaskam), 1754 (Abel Rudhall) and 1881 (Mears & Stainbank).[5]

Stone crosses

Langdon (1896) records six stone crosses in the parish, of which two are in the churchyard.

Stained window

A stained glass window, the work of Messrs Joseph Bell and Son of Bristol, was placed in the chancel in March 1880. The window depicts Jesus, holding a child, between St Peter and St John and is in memory of Achile Baglehole who died when he fell off the cliff at Land's End in July 1879.[6]

Media

St Levan's Church was featured in the first series of the BBC's Doctor Who.

References
Wikimedia Commons has media related to St Levan's Church, St Levan.
  1. Parish Guide. n.d.
  2. Pevsner, N. (1970) Buildings of England, Cornwall. Penguin Books
  3. "St Levan", National Churches Trust
  4. Doble, G. H. (1960) The Saints of Cornwall: part 1. Truro: Dean and Chapter; pp. 3-9
  5. "St Levan, Cornwall". Dove's Guide for Church Bell Ringers. Dovemaster. 14 March 2012. Retrieved 22 May 2017.
  6. "St Levan". The Cornishman. No. 87. 11 March 1880. p. 5.
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