St. Columba of Cornwall, Virgin Martyr

13 November


Date unknown. Columba, the patron saint of two parishes in Cornwall, is said to have been a Christian maiden put to death by a heathen king of Cornwall (Benedictines).

Like the majority of Cornish Churches the Parish Church of St Columb is dedicated in the name of a Celtic Saint-Columba the Virgin. She was a holy women who probably came from Ireland to preach the Gospel to fellow Celts here and in Brittany. According to tradition Columba was pursued up the river by a heathen tyrant who wished her to marry his son, and was martyred at Ruthvoes, about 2 1/2 miles from St Columb Town. (Columba in Latin means a Dove- the emblem of tenderness and purity.)

The church occupies a splendid position at the head of the Vale of Lanherne. The site was quite possibly a large tumulus or burying place in pre-Christian times. but we know that a church has occupied it for at least 1000 years.

http://homepages.tesco.net/~k.wasley/St_columb_church.htm



Previous Saint This month Next Saint
[Today's previous saint] [back to Calendar] [Today's next saint]

Lives kindly supplied by:
For All the Saints:
http://www.saintpatrickdc.org/ss/saint_a.shtml

These Lives are archived at:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/celt-saints/


content © 2008, Ambrose Mooney
layout © 2008, Kathleen Hanrahan and Mo! Langdon
Page last updated: 3 November 2008
Please send us comments, corrections, etc. - Kathleen or Mo!.
This page's URL: <http://www.CelticSaints.org/2009/1113c.html>