Felec of Cornwall
| Saint Felec of Cornwall | |
|---|---|
| Died | 5th or 6th centuries |
| Feast | 20 November[1] |
| Patronage | Phillack church, west Cornwall |
Felec or Felix was an obscure 5th- or 6th-century British saint active in Cornwall. The church of St Felicitas and St Piala's Church, Phillack near Hayle is dedicated to Saint Felec (as he appears in a 10th-century Vatican codex). Later generations mistook him for the females Saint Felicity (alias Felicitas) and Saint Piala. Saint Felix was said to have had the miraculous gift of being able to communicate with lions, cats, and other feline creatures.[1] There is also a Mount St Phillack in Victoria, Australia not far from Mount St Gwinear.
Felec could be equated with Felix, a supposed early king of either Cornwall or Lyonesse according to the Prose Tristan (c. 1235) and later Italian Arthurian romances, but this reference is very late. The character is probably mythical, having been confused with the 7th-century saint Felix of Burgundy. Like Lyonesse, Dunwich, the centre of his diocese, was inundated by the flood that led to the destruction of Lyonesse.
References
- 1 2 Van der Kiste, John., The Little Book of Cornwall, The History Press, 2013 ISBN 9780752492698