Saint Materiana

Saint Materiana
Saint Materiana
	Banner of St Materiana in Minster Church
Born	c. 440; Gwent, Wales
Died	early 6th century (?); Minster, Cornwall
Venerated in	Anglican Communion ; Catholic Church ; Eastern Orthodox Church
Major shrine	Minster, Cornwall
Feast	9 April
Attributes	crown; widow's robe
Patronage	Minster, Cornwall; Tintagel, Cornwall; Trawsfynydd, Wales

Last updated May 02, 2024

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.

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

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.^[2] The parish feast traditionally celebrated at Tintagel was 19 October, the feast day of St Denys, patron of the chapel at Trevena.^{[ citation needed ]}

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.^[3] 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.^[4]

Trawsfynydd church

The parish church at Trawsfynydd is dedicated to a St Madryn, Princess of Gwent, who is usually identified with Materiana.^[5]

Related Research Articles

Tintagel or Trevena is a civil parish and village situated on the Atlantic coast of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The village and nearby Tintagel Castle are associated with the legends surrounding King Arthur and in recent times have become a tourist attraction. It was claimed by Geoffrey of Monmouth that the castle was an ancient residence of King Arthur.

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Boscastle is a village and fishing port on the north coast of Cornwall, England, in the civil parish of Forrabury and Minster. It is 14 miles (23 km) south of Bude and 5 miles (8 km) northeast of Tintagel. The harbour is a natural inlet protected by two stone harbour walls built in 1584 by Sir Richard Grenville and is the only significant harbour for 20 miles (32 km) along the coast. The village extends up the valleys of the River Valency and River Jordan. Heavy rainfall on 16 August 2004 caused extensive damage to the village.

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Saint Julitta, or Saint Juliot, is a male Celtic saint to whom two Cornish churches are dedicated. He is believed to have settled at the site of Tintagel Castle at the end of the 5th century and established a small monastic community. In some accounts he is a member of the Children of Brychan and St Nectan and the holy female Hermit, St Keyne, are thought to have been his companions. He is the patron of the parish churches of St Juliot and of Lanteglos by Camelford. The Norman chapel of Tintagel Castle is dedicated to St Julitta. At Jetwells near Camelford is a holy well. Jetwells derives from "Juliot's well".

References

↑ Hutchinson-Hall, John. Orthodox Saints of the British Isles. Vol II (St. Eadfrith Press, 2014) p. 38
↑ Canner, A. C. (1982) The Parish of Tintagel. Camelford: A. C. Canner; pp. 32-33
↑ "St Materiana, Tintagel restored by James Piers St. Aubyn", The Victorian Web
↑ Thomas, Charles (1993) Tintagel, Arthur and Archaeology ISBN 0-7134-6690-1; pp. 19-20
↑ "EBK: St. Madrun". Earlybritishkingdoms.com. Retrieved 6 April 2020.

External links

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[1] Hutchinson-Hall, John. Orthodox Saints of the British Isles. Vol II (St. Eadfrith Press, 2014) p. 38

[2] Canner, A. C. (1982) The Parish of Tintagel. Camelford: A. C. Canner; pp. 32-33

[3] "St Materiana, Tintagel restored by James Piers St. Aubyn", The Victorian Web

[4] Thomas, Charles (1993) Tintagel, Arthur and Archaeology ISBN 0-7134-6690-1; pp. 19-20

[5] "EBK: St. Madrun". Earlybritishkingdoms.com. Retrieved 6 April 2020.

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Saint Materiana

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