Saint Materiana is a Welsh saint, patron of two churches in Cornwall and one in Wales. Alternative spellings are Madrun and Madryn. The name was corrupted to "Marcelliana" in medieval times. Another spelling of her name sometimes used is "Mertheriana" or "Merthiana", resembling the Welsh ''merthyr'' - "martyr".
Origin
Materiana is said to have been a princess of the 5th century, the eldest of three daughters of King
Vortimer
Vortimer (Old Welsh Guorthemir, cy, Gwerthefyr), also known as Saint Vortimer ( cy, Gwerthefyr Fendigaid, "Vortimer the Blessed"), is a figure in Matter of Britain, British tradition, a son of the 5th-century Britons (historical), Britonni ...
the Blessed, who, after her father's death, ruled over
Gwent with her husband Prince Ynyr. She is said to be the "Madryn" in whose name (along with her handmaiden Anhun (Antonia)) the church at
Trawsfynydd
Trawsfynydd (; Welsh for "across hemountain") is a linear village in Gwynedd, Wales, near Llyn Trawsfynydd reservoir, and adjacent to the A470 north of Bronaber and Dolgellau and 10 km (6 miles) south of Blaenau Ffestiniog.
The total com ...
is dedicated, and Carn Fadryn/Fadrun is named. Matrona was a widespread Roman name, and there is no evidence of any purported connection with a pre-Christian goddess named Modron.
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
![Rood screen in St Materiana's Church, Tintagel (5628)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2d/Rood_screen_in_St_Materiana%27s_Church%2C_Tintagel_%285628%29.jpg)
The mother church of
Boscastle
Boscastle ( kw, Kastel Boterel) is a village and fishing port on the north coast of Cornwall, England, in the civil parish of Forrabury and Minster (where the 2011 Census population was included) . It is south of Bude and northeast of Tint ...
is
Minster, dedicated to St Materiana, located in the valley of the
River Valency
The River Valency ( kw, Dowr an Velinji) is a short river in north Cornwall, England, UK, with many small tributaries. After running past Lesnewth it cuts a valley before entering the sea at the harbour of the village of Boscastle. One of its tri ...
half-a-mile east of Boscastle at . The original Forrabury / Minster boundary crossed the river so the harbour end of the village was in Forrabury and the upriver area in Minster. The churches were established some time earlier than the settlement at Boscastle (in Norman times when a castle was built there). The Celtic name of Minster was Talkarn but it was renamed Minster in Anglo-Saxon times because of a monastery on the site. Until the Reformation St Materiana's tomb was preserved in the church. Traditions of the saint were recorded by
William Worcestre
William Worcester, also called William of Worcester, William Worcestre or William Botoner (1415) was an English topographer, antiquary and chronicler.
Life
He was a son of another William of Worcester, a Bristol whittawer (worker in white leath ...
in 1478: he states that her tomb was venerated at Minster and that her feast day was 9 April. The parish feast traditionally celebrated at Tintagel was 19 October, the feast day of
St Denys
St Denys is a partially riverside district of Southampton, England, centred north north-east of the city centre facing variously Bitterne Park and quay across the River Itchen estuary. The river is here spanned in the mid-east extreme of t ...
, patron of the chapel at Trevena (the proper date is 9 October but the feast has moved forward due to the calendar reform of 1752).
Tintagel and Trawsfynydd churches
The first
church
Church may refer to:
Religion
* Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities
* Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination
* Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship
* Chris ...
at
Tintagel
Tintagel () or Trevena ( kw, Tre war Venydh, meaning ''Village on a Mountain'') is a civil parish and village situated on the Atlantic coast of Cornwall, England. The village and nearby Tintagel Castle are associated with the legends surroundin ...
was probably in the 6th century, founded as a daughter church of
Minster: these are the only churches dedicated to the saint though she is usually identified with Madryn, Princess of Gwent, who has a church dedicated to her at
Trawsfynydd
Trawsfynydd (; Welsh for "across hemountain") is a linear village in Gwynedd, Wales, near Llyn Trawsfynydd reservoir, and adjacent to the A470 north of Bronaber and Dolgellau and 10 km (6 miles) south of Blaenau Ffestiniog.
The total com ...
in Gwynedd.
St Materiana's Church, Tintagel was restored by architect
James Piers St Aubyn
James Piers St Aubyn (6 April 1815 – 8 May 1895), often referred to as J P St Aubyn, was an English architect of the Victorian era, known for his church architecture and confident restorations.
Early life
St Aubyn was born at Powick Vicarag ...
in 1870. The north doorway dates to around 1080. 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 munificence of William de Bottreaux, lord of
Boscastle
Boscastle ( kw, Kastel Boterel) is a village and fishing port on the north coast of Cornwall, England, in the civil parish of Forrabury and Minster (where the 2011 Census population was included) . It is south of Bude and northeast of Tint ...
rather than the Earl of Cornwall.
[Thomas, Charles (1993) ''Tintagel, Arthur and Archaeology'' ; pp. 19-20]
See also
*
Puerto Madryn
Puerto Madryn (; cy, Porth Madryn), also known as ''Madryn'', is a city in the province of Chubut in Argentine Patagonia. It is the capital of the Viedma Department, and has about 93,995 inhabitants according to the last census in 2010.
Puer ...
—a town in Argentina named after Madryn,
Nefyn
Nefyn (, archaically anglicised as Nevin) is both a small town and a community on the northwest coast of the Llŷn Peninsula, Gwynedd, Wales. Nefyn is popular with visitors for its sandy beach, and has one substantial hotel. The A497 road termin ...
, Wales
*Carn Fadrun—a hill in North Wales named after the saint
*
Nefyn
Nefyn (, archaically anglicised as Nevin) is both a small town and a community on the northwest coast of the Llŷn Peninsula, Gwynedd, Wales. Nefyn is popular with visitors for its sandy beach, and has one substantial hotel. The A497 road termin ...
—a town in North Wales (the Madryn estate is nearby)
References
Further reading
*Canner, A. C. (1982) ''The Parish of Tintagel''. Camelford: A. C. Canner; pp. 5–6, 94-95
External links
Vortigern Studies: Modrun, granddaughter of Vortigern
{{DEFAULTSORT:Materiana
Medieval Welsh saints
Medieval Cornish saints
Late Ancient Christian female saints
5th-century Christian saints
Female saints of medieval Wales
5th-century English people
5th-century English women
5th-century Welsh people
5th-century Welsh women