page_title: St Helen's, Isles of Scilly
section_title: Early Christian Chapel
hierarchical_section_title: St Helen's, Isles of Scilly / History / Early Christian Chapel
caption_attribution_description: English: The Pest House St Helen's This was a Quarantine post for ships returning to Britain - The story goes that sick sailors were abandoned to their fate rather than quarantined. It was built in 1764.
context_page_description: St Helen's is one of the fifty or so uninhabited islands in the archipelago of the Isles of Scilly and has an approximate area of 0.1885 square kilometres. On the south side of the island is one of the earliest Christian sites in Scilly, an early medieval religious complex, which is thought to be the remains of St Elidius Hermitage, an 8th-century chapel lived in by Saint Lide. There are also the remains of an isolation hospital used to quarantine sailors with plague. The island is the major part of a Site of Special Scientific Interest and some features have been given the designation of scheduled ancient monument. Access to the island is through chartered or private boat, although there are some season trips throughout the summer. St Helen's is currently managed by the Isles of Scilly Wildlife Trust.
context_section_description: On the south slope of St Helen's there is an early medieval religious complex that is thought to be the remains of St Elidius Hermitage, an 8th-century chapel lived in by Saint Lide (also known as Elid or Elidius) which is also Saint Lide alleged burial place. Archaeological excavations suggest that the site developed from a solitary hermit site, with a single round hut and oratory, to a communal hermitage with a number of rectangular huts for individual accommodation, surrounding the church and oratory buildings. Five graves from the early hermitage were also excavated east of the living section. A field system was also present providing food for the Hermitage/Chapel, and later the Pest House residents. In the early 11th-century a small church was built on the north east side of the living section and around 1120 AD the church was granted to Tavistock Abbey. This increased the numbers of pilgrims visiting the site due to it being the shrine of Elidius, and many alterations and remodeling were made to the complex. Additionally, further excavations of the site have uncovered decorated ridge-tiles and parts of the 12th century Purbeck Marble shrine that is thought to have once housed Saint Elidius relics. It is also said that there was once a causeway from abbey church at Tresco across the downs to the church on St Helen's Isle. Currently there are yearly open air service on 8 August to celebrate the feast of St Elidius at the small ruined church.
caption: The Ruined Pest House, St Helen's
exif: {}