St Mawgan Monastery

St Mawgan Monastery stands in the village of St Mawgan in Cornwall, south-west England. Once a Celtic monastery founded in the 6th century, it later became a Cluniac house after the Norman Conquest. The site passed to secular owners and became the Manor of Lanherne by 1086. The Arundell family made it their main home by the 14th century. In 1794 the estate was given to English Carmelite nuns fleeing the French Revolution. The monastery’s history includes smugglers using its empty rooms for storage before the nuns arrived. The convent dedicated to St Joseph and St Anne held a relic, the skull of Cuthbert Mayne, until 2014. The Carmelite community left in 2015, but the site continued in religious use. Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate moved in during 2001 and remained until Carmelite life returned. Visitors find an Elizabethan entrance to the former convent set within the manor house. The relic of Cuthbert Mayne was once displayed here before transfer to Launceston. The buildings reflect centuries of changing ownership and purpose. The surrounding village of St Mawgan adds to the quiet, historic atmosphere. The site remains a place where different religious communities have lived and worshipped.