St. Sennen's Church, Sennen is a

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...

in the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...

located in

Sennen Sennen (''Cornish: Sen Senan'' or ''Sen Senana'') is a coastal civil parish and a village in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. Sennen village is situated approximately eight miles (13 km) west-southwest of Penzance.Ordnance Survey: Landra ...

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...

, England, UK.

History

Sennen Church Yard Celtic Cross - geograph

Sennen parish church is dedicated to St Sinninus but has also been dedicated to St

John the Baptist John the Baptist or , , or , ;Wetterau, Bruce. ''World history''. New York: Henry Holt and Company. 1994. syc, ܝܘܿܚܲܢܵܢ ܡܲܥܡܕ݂ܵܢܵܐ, Yoḥanān Maʿmḏānā; he, יוחנן המטביל, Yohanān HaMatbil; la, Ioannes Bapti ...

. There has been a church here since at least the 15th century.
GENUKI website; Sennen. Retrieved June 2010 In 1327 and 1430 the patron of Sennen is described as a female saint Senana. However in later times it has been assumed that Senanus is the patron saint. The identification of this Cornish saint with St Senan of Scattery Island appears to have no foundation. The church of St. Sennen is mediaeval. A visit by members of the

Penzance Natural History and Antiquarian Society Penzance Natural History and Antiquarian Society (1839–1961) was a local society founded in Penzance in Cornwall, England, UK, whose aim was "the cultivation of the science of Natural History, and for the investigation of the Antiquities refer ...

on their annual excursion in August 1893 resulted in a translation of a

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

inscription on a stone at the base of the font as ″''In the year of the Lord 1441 , 3, or 4 this Church was dedicated on he festival ofthe beheading of St John the Baptist''″. (The feast referred to is celebrated on 29 August.) It is known as the parish church of

Land's End Land's End ( kw, Penn an Wlas or ''Pedn an Wlas'') is a headland and tourist and holiday complex in western Cornwall, England, on the Penwith peninsula about west-south-west of Penzance at the western end of the A30 road. To the east of it is ...

and the patron is the

Duke of Cornwall Duke of Cornwall is a title in the Peerage of England, traditionally held by the eldest son of the reigning British monarch, previously the English monarch. The duchy of Cornwall was the first duchy created in England and was established by a ro ...

. The present church has a chancel and nave, a south aisle and a north transept. A wall-painting depicting two round embattled towers was uncovered during

restoration Restoration is the act of restoring something to its original state and may refer to: * Conservation and restoration of cultural heritage ** Audio restoration ** Film restoration ** Image restoration ** Textile restoration * Restoration ecology ...

in 1867. There is also a headless alabaster figure representing the

Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother o ...

in the transept. The church has a three-stage battlemented tower housing a ring of three bells. There are five Cornish crosses in the parish. One is at Escalls and another at Sennen Green. Trevilley cross is one of only two crosses with a crucifixus figure on a cross carved onto the stone (there is a cross on the other side of the head). A cross on the churchyard wall came from a site near the Giant's Stone. A fine cross in the cemetery adjoining the churchyard was found in use as a footbridge near Trevear and moved to the churchyard in 1878. About 1890 it was moved to its present position.Langdon, A. G. (1896) ''Old Cornish Crosses''. Truro: Joseph Pollard; pp. 39, 289-90, 92-93, 105 & 107-08

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sennen, Saint Sennen Church of England church buildings in Cornwall Grade II* listed churches in Cornwall 1441 establishments in England 15th-century church buildings in England Grade II* listed buildings in Cornwall National Heritage List for England Buildings and structures in Cornwall St Sennen's Church