Cornwall’s Chapel of St Piran’s to be Uncovered (Cornwall’s National Heritage)

Plans are afoot to uncover the oldest four walled Christian edifice in mainland Britain. The chapel was buried under the sands in 1980. At the time it was said to be the best way of protecting the site. The St Piran trust and Perranzabuloe Parish Council, which owns the site, were originally awarded a development grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund in 2010 to investigate the feasibility of uncovering the chapel. Now the excavation work is set to begin.

The building is thought to date back to the early fifth or sixth century and is believed by many to have been built by St Piran himself.  St Piran was said to be of Irish origin and is the patron saint of the Celtic nation of Cornwall. St Piran’s Day (Cornish: Gool Peran) is celebrated on 5 March every year. The national flag of Cornwall (Cornish: Banner Peran) is a white cross on a black background.

It is hoped that the excavations will start in October of 2013 and be completed by St Piran’s Day in 2015.