Church of St Breaca, Breage

Church of St Breaca stands in the quiet village of Breage, Cornwall, built of local granite in the 15th century. The nave opens to two aisles through granite arcades, and the north wall holds five medieval paintings of saints and a rare Sunday Christ. A 3rd-century Roman milestone and an unusual Hiberno-Saxon cross head mark the churchyard. The church’s history reaches back to the 5th century, when Saint Breaca arrived from Ireland to bring the faith. After the Norman Conquest three lords claimed the church, and in the 12th century it passed from the earl of Gloucester to Tewkesbury Abbey, then to Hailes Abbey. The parish once included dependent chapels at Germoe, Cury and Gunwalloe, added in 1246. Inside, the restored chancel holds the Godolphin family vault beneath a repaired roof. The Henry Willis organ, rebuilt in 1968, fills the space with music. Outside, the granite walls and ancient stones speak of centuries of worship and memory.