St Piran's Oratory is a Grade II listed building in the Cornwall local planning authority area, England. First listed on 30 May 1967. A Pre-Conquest Church.
St Piran's Oratory
- WRENN ID
- south-bailey-weasel
- Grade
- II
- Local Planning Authority
- Cornwall
- Constituency
- Truro and Falmouth MP: Jayne Kirkham (Lab)
- Country
- England
- Date first listed
- 30 May 1967
- Type
- Church
- Address
- St Piran's Oratory, Perranzabuloe
- OS grid reference
- SW 768 563
- Coordinates
- 50.36507, -5.13902
- Source
- Historic England listing
Description
St Piran's Oratory is an early Christian church or oratory, believed to date from the 6th or 7th century. In the 20th century, the remaining structure was enclosed in a concrete vault, which is now buried under sand, making inspection impossible. This building is noted for its unique structural features, leading experts to suggest it may have been built over the tomb of St Piran. In 1835, when the oratory was excavated, a headless skeleton, thought to be that of the saint, was found beneath the altar. The oratory measures 29 feet in length, 16.5 feet in breadth, and has gables that rise to 19 feet. The masonry is very rudimentary and lacks mortar. The entrance is located on the south side and features a semi-circular arch, which is decorated with a carved cat's head on the keystone and a human head on each side at the spring of the arch.
Local climate
St Piran's Oratory receives an average of 890 mm of rain a year. This makes it wetter than 66% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is greater than that of 86% of listed buildings.
It experiences an average of 6 freeze-thaw cycles a year, fewer than 96% of listed buildings. Of these, 2 follow at least 1 mm of rain in the preceding 48 hours. Average temperatures at this location have risen by 0.3°C per decade since 1991.
Averages for 1991–2020; temperature trend 1991–2025. Figures describe the wider area (a grid cell of roughly 10 km), not the individual site. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.
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- No EPC on record for this property
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- No related consent applications matched
- Detailed attributes — period, style, materials, features
- Flood risk assessment
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- Weather exposure and heating demand — rain and frost month by month and year by year, wind direction, solar and humidity
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