page_title: Penhale Sands
section_title: St Piran
hierarchical_section_title: Penhale Sands / History / St Piran
caption_attribution_description: English: St Piran's Oratory The building covering the partly excavated oratory of St Piran taken in 1952. This is a photo of listed building number 1141559.
context_page_description: Penhale Sands, or Penhale Dunes, is a complex of sand dunes and a protected area for its wildlife, on the north Cornwall coast in England, UK. It is the most extensive system of sand dunes in Cornwall and is believed to be the landing site of Saint Piran. Dating from the 6th century, St Piran's Oratory is thought to be one of the oldest Christian sites in Britain. The remains were discovered in the late 18th century, and in 2014 the covering sand was removed to reveal a building more than a thousand years old, in a reasonable state of preservation. A restricted military area dating from 1939, Penhale Camp, is found on the northern part of the dunes.
  The area has been designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest since 1953 and became a Special Area of Conservation in 2004. The South West Coast Path runs through the dunes.
context_section_description: Penhale Sands and Perran Beach are believed to be the 6th century landing site of Saint Piran from Ireland, regarded the bringer of Christianity to, and the patron saint of Cornwall. On this site, situated in a hollow, St Piran's Oratory was built around this time. It is thought to be the oldest Christian site in Cornwall and one of the oldest in Britain. The church was abandoned in the tenth century due to the encroachment of sand. A replacement church was built further inland and abandoned in 1795. The oratory site was excavated in 1835 and 1843 before the remains were encased in a large concrete structure in 1910. The concrete structure was removed in 1980 and the delicate site buried in sand for its protection. In 2014 the sand was removed to reveal the remains of the church.
caption: Building covering the partly excavated St Piran's Oratory in 1952
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