Abbey Church of St Mary and St Petroc

The village of Bodmin (which means "home of monks" in Cornish). A medieval Life of St Petroc describes how it was home to a hermit, St Goran (or Wron), during the early 6th century. In 518 he welcomed the Irish monk, St Petroc, who was seeking to found a monastery in the area, which he did near Padstow. The destruction caused to the monastery in 981 by Viking raiders caused the monks to move their community to Bodmin.

The Priory of St Mary was established by the Canons Regular of the Lateran during the 12th century. It grew to become the largest monastic community in Cornwall, but was suppressed on 27 February 1538 in the course of the Dissolution of the Monasteries. The buildings of the priory were torn down, with the exception of the priory church, which was converted to the use of the Church of England. As their numbers and presence continued to expand, the canons took a major role in serving the surviving Catholic population of Cornwall. The community grew, until the house was raised to the status of an abbey in 1953. Construction on a new church to serve the canons and the town had been begun in…