St Paternus
North Petherwin, Cornwall
The church of St Paternus stands in pretty countryside, with a churchyard that was almost certainly an early Celtic holy site, as evidenced by the circular shape of the enclosure.
Egloskerry church has an interesting and varied history. The high altar and the chancel is Norman. The five granite arches replaced the original outside wall when the south aisle was added in the 1500s. The font is a relic of the Norman building, christening children for over 900 years.
Hanging high on a wall is the helmet and gauntlets, believed to those of Sir John Specott, dating back to 1620, and showing some battle damage. There is an alabaster efigy of an unknown civilian set into the wall of the lady chapel.
Above the high altar is the east window, the largest expanse of stain glass in the building, representing the four archangels. Three mural monuments placed between the windows of the south aisle provide an interesting contrast in the character of these memorials down the years. Outside, above the now blocked up north doorway, is a granite carving of a dragon snapping at it's own tail.