Zennor Church - Churches of Cornwall

Описание: The beautiful church of St Senara stands in the picturesque village of Zennor in Penwith, Cornwall. The church today is a tourist attraction because of its Mermaid Chair, more information on which can be found below.
There has been a church here since the 6th century however the one we see today is mainly Medieval, dating from the 13th-14th centuries, although the North aisle dates from the 15th century. There are also three wheel head wayside crosses in the churchyard. The first one is the Trevega Cross which stands by the gate of the church. It was erected here in 1959 after being rediscovered in 1890 being used as a bridge at Trevega, near St Ives. The other two crosses stand on the grave of William Borlase, one of Cornwall's most well-known and well respected archaeologists.
The mermaid chair is one of the most interesting features of the church and, as the name suggests, it depicts a mermaid. This chair is linked to the legend of the mermaid of Zennor which goes:

"Long ago, a beautiful and richly dressed woman occasionally attended services at St. Senara's Church in Zennor, and sometimes at Morvah. The parishioners were enchanted by her beauty and her voice, for her singing was sweeter than all the rest. She appeared infrequently for scores of years, but never seemed to age, and nobody knew whence she came, although they watched her from the summit of Tregarthen Hill. After many years, the mysterious woman became interested in a young man named Mathey Trewella, "the best singer in the parish." One day he followed her home, and disappeared; neither was ever seen again in Zennor Church."

The chair is thought to date from the 14th-15th century.

You can watch a video of Zennor Village here:
   • Zennor, Cornwall