St Just
St Just in Roseland, Cornwall
The current church building dates from the 13th century. It was consecrated by Bishop Walter Bronescombe on the 14th August 1261.
Tradition has it that there were two St Mylors, one a Celtic Bishop, the other a Breton Prince; we tend to favour the bishop, who landed at what is now Mylor Harbour and built a simple wattle church and some wooden buildings that formed the Monastery of Lawithick, attracted by the presence of water. There is a well in the churchyard.
The site of this church is one of the oldest in the land. A Norman church was built here in the 12th century, parts of which still exist. Largely restored in 1870.
The Cross of St Mylor at the entrance to the porch is 17’6” in height, seven feet of which are buried in the ground. This could well have had its origins in pagan times, and at one time was used as a flying buttress for the south face of the church. There is much archaeological interest in the graffiti present both in the porch entrance, and inside on some of the columns.
The base of the font is 13th century granite, the pulpit is made from a wood carving from the first Elizabethan period and some portions of the original 15th century rood screen have been pieced together and replaced in their original position. A newer addition is the screen between the sanctuary and the lady chapel, commemorating the 31 men, women and children who lost their lives in the MV Darlwyn tragedy in 1966.
The church tower houses a bell dated 1767, and the detached bell tower has three; one medieval, one dated 1637 and the third 1664. A churchyard walk gives details of the more interesting graves, including a memorial to the author Howard Spring. The Ganges memorial commemorates 52 boys who died while undergoing naval training on HMS Ganges, anchored off the dockyard 1866 to 1896. We care very much for our church and work hard to keep it looking beautiful, much enhanced by our team of flower arrangers.
We have a group of ‘Lay Weeders’ who meet regularly to care for the churchyard and conserve its wildlife. Open every day from dawn to dusk, a place of peace and tranquillity regularly commented upon by our many visitors, but with the facilities of the harbour close by.
