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Cury |
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The churchtown at Cury is high up, on a treeless part of the coast, so that the Church tower, with its single turret rising above the height of the pinnacles, stands out for some distance. The village is less developed than some in the area, and the church has a comfortable feel of the past: it was very heavily restored during the 19th century, pews and roofs all going, but the building had suffered neglect for some time before 1973, and had reached a point where drastic help was needed. Today, there is a generally more sympathetic approach to repairing and renewing within.
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Statuette of St Corentin
The font (c 1150) has a central pillar with four (1800s) serpentine shafts replacing the granite originals
Carving above East Window
Two of the four porcelain tablets (1873) have the ten commandments, Lord's Prayer and Creed
Chancel & Modern High Altar made by local cabinet maker
The Squint or Hagioscope and Rood screen stairs entrance
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The Cury Cross stands 9 ft high by the South gate of the churchyard and is a particularly fine example of its type. The west tower which is so prominent a landmark, is, like the rest of the church, built of granite, in two stages, unbuttressed, as with most of the local churches - a buttress is a mass of masonry projecting from or built into the main fabric to give additional strength. The stair turret rises in the north west corner above the pinnacles. The west door is simple enough, but notice the carved heads used as label stops both at the doorway, and in the window above. One of the outstanding features of Cury is its Norman south doorway (4) - the Victorian work on the adjacent transept makes it now seem unfortunately cramped on the east side, but it remains remarkable. The tympanum above the doorway has a series of interlaced rings - a familiar emblem used to represent eternity; these are surrounded by the more familiar Norman zigzags and beads. The zigzag motif is repeated in the column below. The work of the restorers is immediately apparent inside the church. The familiar, uncluttered lines of the Victorian pews are matched above by the hammer beam roof, a superb piece of craftsmanship; walls have been rendered, but not coloured or whitewashed, and consequently the interior lacks immediate focus, so that no particular features stand out. ST CORENTIN He was an important Breton saint, first mentioned in the 9th Century; as a hermit, he lived by a stream containing a miraculous fish, from which he was able to take a slice each day for his meal. (The fish miraculously regenerated its flesh before it was next required). His reputation for sanctity caused him to be chosen as first bishop of Cornouaille in Brittany. His relics are to be found in the Cathedral at Quimper which was later dedicated to him. In 1219 this place was first named as Egloscuri - Cury is probably a pet-form of Corentin. The statuette in the church is of St Corentin.
There is clear evidence of the more catholic traditions of the church at Cury: Stations of the Cross are to be found all round the church, and some may recall the name of a former Vicar, Fr Sandys Wason, who achieved some degree of celebrity in the early part of this century for his ritual practices.
The south wall is probably the oldest part of the church, with features dating from either Norman times, like the door, or from the 14th Century. The north Arcade and the North Aisle are 15th Century work, the arches and piers are made of St Stephen’s porcelain stone which is less coarse than granite. Just to the left of the south doorway is the font: it has somewhat crudely cut corner shafts with shallowly carved stars or medallions between them. Notice the capitals to the pillars - they all have the horizontal leaf pattern which is so frequently found in Cornish churches of this period. The Rood Stairway is still to be seen in the North Aisle and South transept: the Screen itself was removed sometime before the restoration, having fallen into disrepair. The carving above the East window of the North aisle is clearly much older than the rest of this part of the church: and probably dates from the 13th Century - it is likely that it was placed here when the old North wall was removed to build the aisle. Looking at the plasterwork everywhere in Cury, one wonders what else may be hidden by the work of a hundred years ago - some of which is currently scheduled for renovation. In the Chancel is a good early Piscina, used for washing the vessels used in Holy Communion. One of the oddities of Cury is the Squint or Hagioscope, connecting the South Transept, and the Chancel. As in Landewednack or Mawgan in Meneage for example, the custom in these parts was to remove the corner and replace it with a single standing octagonal pier, but this one presents other oddities - there is a window into the churchyard, which some believe to be a Leper’s Window, to allow sight, from the outside of the Altar within. There is also the complicated arrangements of the stairs giving access to the old Rood loft. When the Victorian restoration took place, it is probable that some of the original stonework was moved to its present position. At the tower end, the west window displays the nativity of the shepherds (Luke 2: 8-20) and Epiphany Kings (Matthew2; 1-12)
There are statues of Jesus, St.Corentin, Mary & Jesus, Mary, Mary of Walsingham and a Bishop-Saint. The Altar Rererdos is of the nativity. The fifteen stations of the cross end at the tabernacle in the Mary Chapel, where the reserved sacrement and Holy oils are kept.
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