The Medieval Cult of St Petroc

In the twelfth century the relics of an early medieval Cornish saint, Petroc, were stolen from his main foundation at Bodmin and taken to the abbey of Saint-Meen in Brittany, whence they were subsequently retrieved, partly through the agency of Henry II.  Using the incident as a focus, this study investigates the cult of St Petroc in Cornwall and Brittany, offering a fascinating account of Breton and Cornish political intrigue and political manoeuvring: the two regions are associated through much of their shared history by a shared language and a similar geographical and political situation on the periphery of larger political and cultural entities, and the cult of the saint illuminates the similarities and dissimilarities in their ecclesiastical, religious, cultural and political histories.

Karen Jankulak gained her Ph.D from the University of Toronto.