Probably born in South Wales, he primarily ministered to the Britons of Devon (Dewnans) and Cornwall (Kernow) then forming the kingdom of Dumnonia where he is associated with a monastery at Padstow, which is named after him (Pedroc-stowe, or 'Petrock's Place').[3] Padstow appears to have been his earliest major cult centre, but Bodmin became the major centre for his veneration when his relics were moved to the monastery there in the later ninth century.[4] Bodmin monastery became one of the wealthiest Cornish foundations by the eleventh century.[5] There is a second ancient dedication to him nearby at Little Petherick or "Saint Petroc Minor".
In Devon ancient dedications total a probable seventeen (plus Timberscombe just over the border in Somerset), mostly coastal and including one within the old Roman walls of Exeter as well as the villages of Petrockstowe and Newton St Petroc. In Wales his name is commemorated at St Petrox near Pembroke, Ferwig near Cardigan and Llanbedrog on the Llŷn Peninsula. He also became a popular saint in Brittany by the end of the tenth century.
Detail of stained glass window at Bodmin showing St Petroc
The earliest Life of Petroc states that he was a younger son of an unnamed Welsh chieftain:[6] the twelfth century version known as the Gotha Life, written at Bodmin, identifies that king as Glywys of Glywysing (Orme 2000, p. 215) and Petroc as a brother of Gwynllyw and uncle of Cadoc.
He studied in Ireland,[7] where later he is said to have been the teacher of Kevin of Glendalough.[2] He made a pilgrimage to Rome, and returning to Cornwall, the wind and tide brought him to Trebetherick.[2] He founded a monastery and school at Lanwethinoc (the church of Wethinoc, an earlier holy man), at the mouth of the river Camel on the North Cornish Coast. It came to be called Petrocs-Stow (Petroc's Place), now Padstow.
St Guron founded a hermitage at Bodmin, but left for the coast upon the arrival of Petroc. St Guron's Well is located a at the western entrance to the churchyard of St Petroc's Church, Bodmin. All accounts indicate that Petroc retired from Padstow to Bodmin.[8]
Petroc ministered throughout Dumnonia, which included Kernow (Cornwall), and parts of Dewnans (Devon), Somerset and Dorset. He also served in Brittany.
Petroc founded churches in Little Petherick and in many parts of Britain, Wales and Brittany. He is said to have converted Constantine of Cornwall to Christianity by saving a deer Constantine was hunting.[7] Constantine later established a hermitage at what is now called Constantine Bay. After thirty years, legend says that Petroc went on the pilgrimage to Rome by way of Brittany. The place of his death was reputedly at a house belonging to a family named Rovel, thought to be a farm now called Treravel near Little Petherick.[9]
Veneration
The Bodmin casket which once contained the saint's relics
Humility is a virtue strongly associated with Petroc.[12] One of the pervasive stories about this describes his return from the pilgrimage to Rome and Jerusalem. As he set foot home in Britain under a heavy rain, he confidently told his companions that it would clear up by morning. Instead, the downpour lasted for many days and Petroc, ashamed of his presumptuousness, is said to have left on another pilgrimage, this one of penance.[12] Legendarily he travelled as far as India where he is said to have tamed a wolf.[12] In iconography, he is frequently depicted with this unlikely pet.[12] Also, like several other British saints, Petroc is often shown with a stag.
In 936, King Athelstan of England annexed Cornwall and granted privilege of sanctuary to Padstow, there only being two other churches in Cornwall with this privilege.[7]
His feast day is 4 June.[12] His major shrine was always at St Petroc's Church, Bodmin. In 1177, a Breton stole his relics from Bodmin and gave them to the Abbey of St Meen. However, Henry II restored them and, though the relics were thrown out during the English Reformation, their ivory casket is still on public display at St. Petroc's in Bodmin.[7] His remains were reputed to have ended up in the bay of Hailemouth near Padstow.[13] A list in the Leofric missal and another manuscript list in Exeter Cathedral record that the cathedral possessed relics of the saint. It is likely that they had been presented by King Athelstan.[14]
The Flag of Devon is dedicated to Saint Petroc. This flag, designed by Ryan Sealey, was the winner of a competition organised by the BBC in 2003, and represents the traditional county. It has been used by residents, and since October 2006 by Devon County Council.
St Petrock's (Exeter) Ltd is a charity working with people who are homeless and vulnerably housed in Devon. [16]
The St. Petroc's Society is a charity working to address homelessness in Cornwall.[17]
St Petroc's Orthodox Monastery in Tasmania, which used the Sarum Rite, was named after him from 1992 until its closure in 2012.[18]
The 2008 merger of North and East Devon Colleges led to them being re-branded under the name Petroc in 2009.[19]
See also
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Saint Petroc.
Brett, Caroline (2004). "Petroc (fl. 6th cent.)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/21757. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
References
^"EBK: St. Petroc, Abbot of Padstow". www.earlybritishkingdoms.com.
^ abc"Commemorated June 4/17. Venerable Petroc of Cornwall". OrthoChristian.Com.
^Mills, A. D. A Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford University Press. 1991
^"Saint Petroc, in French Perreuse, Abbot and Confessor. June 4. Rev. Alban Butler. 1866. Volume VI: June. The Lives of the Saints". www.bartleby.com.
^Jankulak, Karen (2000). The Medieval Cult of St Petroc. Boydell Press. p. 10. ISBN978-0-85115-777-1.
^The cult of St Michael was largely due to the Norman Earls of Cornwall, while that of St Petroc was the most important in the Diocese of Cornwall since he was the founder of the monastery of Bodmin, the most important in the diocese and, with St Germans, the seat of the bishops. He was the patron of the diocese and of Bodmin: Caroline Brett, 'Petroc (fl. 6th cent.)', Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004 accessed 16 Dec 2008
^Cross, F. L., ed. (1959) The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. London: Oxford University Press; p. 1058
^ abcde"Saint Who? Saint Petroc". Magnificat. Magnificat USA. 20 (11): 81. January 2019.
^Challoner, Richard. A Memorial of Ancient British Piety: or, a British martyrology. Giving a short account of all such Britons as have been honoured of old amongst the saints, p. 187. London: W. Needham, 1761. Accessed 13 March 2013.
Doble, G. H. (1938) Saint Petrock, a Cornish Saint; 3rd ed. [Wendron: the author]
Doble, G. H. (1965) The Saints of Cornwall: part 4. Truro: Dean and Chapter; pp. 132–166
Jankulak, Karen (2000) The Medieval Cult of St. Petroc Boydell Press (19 Oct 2000) ISBN978-0-85115-777-1
Orme, Nicholas (1996). English Church Dedications, with a Survey of Cornwall and Devon. Exeter: University of Exeter Press. ISBN0-85989-516-5.
Orme, Nicholas (2000) The Saints of Cornwall Oxford: U. P. (6 Jan 2000) ISBN978-0-19-820765-8
Stacey, Robin Chapman, review of Karen Jankulak. "The Medieval Cult of St. Petroc" Albion: A Quarterly Journal Concerned with British Studies, Vol. 34, No. 1 (Spring, 2002), pp. 180–181
External links
"St. Petroc March", Coldstream Guards
March 05, 2023
saint, petroc, saint, perreux, redirects, here, commune, saint, perreux, petrock, medieval, latin, petrocus, welsh, pedrog, french, perreux, british, prince, christian, saint, abbot, lanwethinocbornc, walesdiedc, 564treravel, padstow, cornwall, englandvenerate. Saint Perreux redirects here For the commune see Saint Perreux Saint Petroc or Petrock Medieval Latin Petrocus Welsh Pedrog French Perreux c 468 c 564 was a British prince and Christian saint Saint PetrocAbbot of LanwethinocBornc 468 1 WalesDiedc 564Treravel Padstow Cornwall EnglandVenerated inCatholic ChurchAnglican CommunionEastern Orthodox Church 2 CanonizedPre CongregationMajor shrineSt Petroc s Church Bodmin Cornwall EnglandFeast4 JuneAttributesWolf stag churchPatronageDevonCornwallProbably born in South Wales he primarily ministered to the Britons of Devon Dewnans and Cornwall Kernow then forming the kingdom of Dumnonia where he is associated with a monastery at Padstow which is named after him Pedroc stowe or Petrock s Place 3 Padstow appears to have been his earliest major cult centre but Bodmin became the major centre for his veneration when his relics were moved to the monastery there in the later ninth century 4 Bodmin monastery became one of the wealthiest Cornish foundations by the eleventh century 5 There is a second ancient dedication to him nearby at Little Petherick or Saint Petroc Minor In Devon ancient dedications total a probable seventeen plus Timberscombe just over the border in Somerset mostly coastal and including one within the old Roman walls of Exeter as well as the villages of Petrockstowe and Newton St Petroc In Wales his name is commemorated at St Petrox near Pembroke Ferwig near Cardigan and Llanbedrog on the Llŷn Peninsula He also became a popular saint in Brittany by the end of the tenth century Contents 1 Life 2 Veneration 3 Legacy 4 See also 5 Further reading 6 References 7 Sources 8 External linksLife Edit Detail of stained glass window at Bodmin showing St Petroc The earliest Life of Petroc states that he was a younger son of an unnamed Welsh chieftain 6 the twelfth century version known as the Gotha Life written at Bodmin identifies that king as Glywys of Glywysing Orme 2000 p 215 and Petroc as a brother of Gwynllyw and uncle of Cadoc He studied in Ireland 7 where later he is said to have been the teacher of Kevin of Glendalough 2 He made a pilgrimage to Rome and returning to Cornwall the wind and tide brought him to Trebetherick 2 He founded a monastery and school at Lanwethinoc the church of Wethinoc an earlier holy man at the mouth of the river Camel on the North Cornish Coast It came to be called Petrocs Stow Petroc s Place now Padstow St Guron founded a hermitage at Bodmin but left for the coast upon the arrival of Petroc St Guron s Well is located a at the western entrance to the churchyard of St Petroc s Church Bodmin All accounts indicate that Petroc retired from Padstow to Bodmin 8 Petroc ministered throughout Dumnonia which included Kernow Cornwall and parts of Dewnans Devon Somerset and Dorset He also served in Brittany Petroc founded churches in Little Petherick and in many parts of Britain Wales and Brittany He is said to have converted Constantine of Cornwall to Christianity by saving a deer Constantine was hunting 7 Constantine later established a hermitage at what is now called Constantine Bay After thirty years legend says that Petroc went on the pilgrimage to Rome by way of Brittany The place of his death was reputedly at a house belonging to a family named Rovel thought to be a farm now called Treravel near Little Petherick 9 Veneration Edit The Bodmin casket which once contained the saint s relics With Saint Piran and Saint Michael he is one of the patron saints of Cornwall 10 He was described by Thomas Fuller as the captain of Cornish saints 11 Humility is a virtue strongly associated with Petroc 12 One of the pervasive stories about this describes his return from the pilgrimage to Rome and Jerusalem As he set foot home in Britain under a heavy rain he confidently told his companions that it would clear up by morning Instead the downpour lasted for many days and Petroc ashamed of his presumptuousness is said to have left on another pilgrimage this one of penance 12 Legendarily he travelled as far as India where he is said to have tamed a wolf 12 In iconography he is frequently depicted with this unlikely pet 12 Also like several other British saints Petroc is often shown with a stag In 936 King Athelstan of England annexed Cornwall and granted privilege of sanctuary to Padstow there only being two other churches in Cornwall with this privilege 7 His feast day is 4 June 12 His major shrine was always at St Petroc s Church Bodmin In 1177 a Breton stole his relics from Bodmin and gave them to the Abbey of St Meen However Henry II restored them and though the relics were thrown out during the English Reformation their ivory casket is still on public display at St Petroc s in Bodmin 7 His remains were reputed to have ended up in the bay of Hailemouth near Padstow 13 A list in the Leofric missal and another manuscript list in Exeter Cathedral record that the cathedral possessed relics of the saint It is likely that they had been presented by King Athelstan 14 Petroc is remembered in the Church of England with a commemoration on 4 June 15 Legacy Edit The flag of Devon is dedicated to Saint Petroc Saint Perreux in Brittany is named for him The Flag of Devon is dedicated to Saint Petroc This flag designed by Ryan Sealey was the winner of a competition organised by the BBC in 2003 and represents the traditional county It has been used by residents and since October 2006 by Devon County Council St Petrock s Exeter Ltd is a charity working with people who are homeless and vulnerably housed in Devon 16 The St Petroc s Society is a charity working to address homelessness in Cornwall 17 St Petroc s Orthodox Monastery in Tasmania which used the Sarum Rite was named after him from 1992 until its closure in 2012 18 The 2008 merger of North and East Devon Colleges led to them being re branded under the name Petroc in 2009 19 See also Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Saint Petroc Saints portal Cornwall portalMartyrology of Tallaght Category Churches dedicated to St PetrocFurther reading EditBrett Caroline 2004 Petroc fl 6th cent Oxford Dictionary of National Biography online ed Oxford University Press doi 10 1093 ref odnb 21757 Subscription or UK public library membership required References Edit EBK St Petroc Abbot of Padstow www earlybritishkingdoms com a b c Commemorated June 4 17 Venerable Petroc of Cornwall OrthoChristian Com Mills A D A Dictionary of English Place Names Oxford University Press 1991 Jankulak 2000 p 66 Stacey 2002 Book of Saints Petrock 20 October 2016 a b c d St Petroc s Padstow 27 December 2015 Saint Petroc in French Perreuse Abbot and Confessor June 4 Rev Alban Butler 1866 Volume VI June The Lives of the Saints www bartleby com Jankulak Karen 2000 The Medieval Cult of St Petroc Boydell Press p 10 ISBN 978 0 85115 777 1 The cult of St Michael was largely due to the Norman Earls of Cornwall while that of St Petroc was the most important in the Diocese of Cornwall since he was the founder of the monastery of Bodmin the most important in the diocese and with St Germans the seat of the bishops He was the patron of the diocese and of Bodmin Caroline Brett Petroc fl 6th cent Oxford Dictionary of National Biography Oxford University Press 2004 accessed 16 Dec 2008 Cross F L ed 1959 The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church London Oxford University Press p 1058 a b c d e Saint Who Saint Petroc Magnificat Magnificat USA 20 11 81 January 2019 Challoner Richard A Memorial of Ancient British Piety or a British martyrology Giving a short account of all such Britons as have been honoured of old amongst the saints p 187 London W Needham 1761 Accessed 13 March 2013 Doble 1938 p 46 The Calendar The Church of England Retrieved 27 March 2021 StPetrock s Exeter Ltd We re working to end homelessness in Cornwall St Petrocs Commemorated June 4 17 Venerable Petroc of Cornwall OrthoChristian Com Retrieved 26 May 2021 College History Petroc College 5 June 2014 Sources EditDoble G H 1938 Saint Petrock a Cornish Saint 3rd ed Wendron the author Doble G H 1965 The Saints of Cornwall part 4 Truro Dean and Chapter pp 132 166 Jankulak Karen 2000 The Medieval Cult of St Petroc Boydell Press 19 Oct 2000 ISBN 978 0 85115 777 1 Orme Nicholas 1996 English Church Dedications with a Survey of Cornwall and Devon Exeter University of Exeter Press ISBN 0 85989 516 5 Orme Nicholas 2000 The Saints of Cornwall Oxford U P 6 Jan 2000 ISBN 978 0 19 820765 8 Stacey Robin Chapman review of Karen Jankulak The Medieval Cult of St Petroc Albion A Quarterly Journal Concerned with British Studies Vol 34 No 1 Spring 2002 pp 180 181External links Edit St Petroc March Coldstream Guards Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Saint Petroc amp oldid 1071875302, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
