St Petroc, Bodmin
Cornwall’s largest church at 150 feet is also the best documented in Britain, over 460 householders donated money or nails to rebuild St Petroc’s in 1469-72.
Cornwall
Discover the wonder of Cornwall's sacred heritage.
Cornwall’s churches are rarely simple buildings nestling into the landscape. Instead they are assertive structures with heaven-thrusting spires or towers, commonly three times the height of the church.
Quaint village churches are rare here; generally places of worship are found in towns, hamlets or trading ports. Methodist and Nonconformist chapels partly filled the gaps left after the Reformation.
Here is a sample of special churches, explore our map for more.
Cornwall
St Breaca, Breage
St Breaca is the archetypal painted church in Cornwall, it's medieval wall paintings survive include St Christopher with mermaid, a warning to Sabbath breakers and various saints.
Churchtown St Hilary, St Hilary
The church has unique links with West Cornwall’s literary and artistic heritage particularly the Newlyn Artists, and the ancient churchyard contains the 5th century Noti Noti stone.
St Nonna, Altarnun
The glorious 1530s bench ends include a bagpiping shepherd, crowder player, holy water clerk and a pair of flick book sword dancers!
St Wyllow, Lanteglos by Fowey
Arguably Cornwall’s least spoilt church, St Wyllow was so forgotten in its farmyard setting the church once had metal tie beams across both aisles and nave.
St Neot, St Neot
St Neot’s has the most complete survival of medieval glass in any parish church, don’t miss the 1530 stags ploughing St Neot’s fields.
Truro Cathedral
Truro Cathedral is Cornwall's cathedral, a beautiful building built in the Gothic style it stands at the heart of the picturesque city of Truro.
St Winwaloe, Tremaine
The simplest parish church in Cornwall retains its Norman north wall with tiny window and door with dragon tympanum.
St Swithin, Launcells
Discover 17th century Barnstaple ‘heraldic’ tiles, large plaster royal arms and a ghostly late 17th century wall painting of Abraham attempting to slay Isaac.
St Levan, St Levan
Where else but St Levan can you find a pair of fish on a bench end and earth ending prophecies are linked to the split churchyard boulder?
St Winwalloe, Gunwalloe
The village church of St Winwaloe is said to be one of the oldest in Cornwall and is mentioned in the Domesday Book.
St Michael, St Michaels Mount
The abbey is a spectacular sight, perched on a rocky hill and surrounded by blue waters, at low tide, the Mount is approached by a historic stone causeway, used by pilgrims in the Middle Ages.
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The Cornwall Historic Churches Trust was formed in 1955 to assist in the restoration and repair of Cornish churches which have architectural or historic merit. Our patron is HRH the Duke of Cornwall.
Everything you need to know; What's on, Where to stay, Things to do, Cornwall maps, guide to beaches, how to get here.
Places to visit in Cornwall
Getting here
Despite being the south westerly tip of mainland Britain, Cornwall is easy to reach by car. The A30 dual carriageway runs almost the entire length of the county but it can become extremely congested, so it’s best to travel overnight or early in the morning.
There are direct trains from direct trains from London, Bristol, Bath and Exeter or you can fly into Cornwall Airport Newquay on a growing network of flights from London, Ireland, Germany, Spain and Portugal.
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