In medieval Cornwall, as in the rest of Britain, the majority of ordinary folk were unable to read and write. Bible stories and Christian teachings were learnt and understood through oral repetition in church services, watching religious plays such as the Ordinalia and through colourful, attention-grabbing wall paintings. While most of these ancient murals have long since vanished a few rare examples do survive and some of the finest can be found in St Breaca church in Breage.

“The Breage frescoes and St Neot windows . . . show how the old men of Cornwall were taught by eye as well as ear.”
western Morning News, 14th September 1944.
Rediscovered!
In the late 19th century there was a spate of church restorations in Cornwall. Some of these were kinder than others, sadly many ancient buildings fell victim to over-enthusiastic renovations. It was during one such remodelling in the summer of 1890 that Rev. Jocelyn Barnes uncovered much more than he had bargained for – and what he found began a life’s work for the vicar.
In a letter to the editor of The Cornishman newspaper, dated 17th July 1890, Rev. Barnes described his discovery.

Note: many documents and reports record the discovery of the murals as being in 1891 but this letter proves that they were found a year earlier.
Like so many Cornish churches the history of Breage Church takes us back into the mists of time. Saint Breaca was said to have been an Irish nun who arrived in Cornwall in the 5th century, some 600 or so years ago. In the 15th century the small Norman chapel at Breage was demolished to make way for a new larger church which was completed around 1450. The colourful ‘frescoes’ were probably painted around that time making them now more than 500 years old.
It is thought that the paintings were probably whitewashed over during turbulent period of King Henry VIII’s Reformation about 100 years later perhaps around 1540. Over the years layer upon layer of white paint coated the bright colours, ultimately protecting them until they were revealed by the building work in 1890.
Understanding Imagery
As well as the two most striking images of St Christopher and Christ who tower over you, you can also find St Hilary, St Corentin, St Giles, St Michael and the dragon, King Henry VI and Thomas a Becket, as well as gothic text, sailing ships and fish. (The image of the King helps to date the murals as Henry reigned from 1422 to 1471.)
St Christopher is of course known to this day as the patron saint of travellers, and he may have been painted here because of the large number of pilgrims that passed through Breage before the Reformation on their way to St Michael’s Mount.


Beside St Christopher is the Christ figure strangely surrounding by all kinds of tools. There are axes, shears, rakes, saws, mallets, even a farm cart, and also objects more usually associated with drinking and gambling, such as playing cards and a lute. These items crowd around the sorrowful figure, some touching him, perhaps piercing his skin, and his body is covered in droplets of blood. This part of the mural is a not so subtle symbolic display, a warning to Sabbath-breakers, those who dared to work on the day of rest – or worse still partook of frivolous activities!
But undoubtedly my favourite image languishes in the water at the feet of St Christopher.
It is the mermaid. She is holding up a mirror which reflects her face in one hand and a large fish in the other. Mermaids were symbols of the sins of vanity, lust and temptation at this time but there is an alternative interpretation. Apparently there was once a legend that a mermaid lured all the fishermen of Breage out to sea, as naughty mermaids often seemed to do, and it was St Christopher who came to their rescue.

Another lesson on the wall for the congregation perhaps – don’t be led astray by watery nymphs!
Revealing Breage’s Frescoes
“The Breage frescoes ought to be seen be every tourist and cultured Cornishman.”
Royal Cornwall Gazette, 17th May 1900

Most articles, and Rev Barnes, referred to the wall paintings in Breage as ‘frescoes’. But my understanding is that the definition of a fresco is a painting that is produced on wet plaster, and some accounts appear to suggest that this was probably not the case here. Therefore the paintings should probably be called murals or wall paintings . . .
Whatever we call them the paintings were a fabulous discovery and Rev. Barnes set about the delicate task of uncovering them inch by inch himself. He dedicated the next two years of his life to the task, gradually peeling back the layers to reveal the treasures beneath.
The church reopened on Boxing Day 1891 but Barnes continued with his efforts with some help from his wife, Mary Anna Barnes, for years after.

After his death Mary Barnes described the painstaking process:
“I think many of your readers must recollect the discovery of the frescoes in St Breage Church by the vicar, Rev. Jocelyn Barnes, when he restored the church in the year 1890.
With his own hands he uncovered them and infinite patience and care he bestowed upon his labour to prevent any chipping or mutilation is largely responsible for the long preservation of their beauty. Under many coats of whitewash we found a thin layer coat of glaze immediately over the pictures, which we were told was some preparation made with white of egg used by the painters of the wall pictures to preserve them.”
The Cornishman, 6th December 1922
The murals drew crowds to see them in those early days and were said to be in “perfect condition” when they were first revealed, a fact backed up by some photographs in a book by Berylcan Jones.
This little work of fiction published privately in 1899 is a strangely romantic imagining of how the murals came to be there but the few pictures included, though black and white, show just how wonderful the paintings looked when first uncovered – fresh, crisp and bright.
Sadly however the passing years have not been kind. By 1913 it was already being reported that the colours were fading “due to the dampness of the Cornish climate” and by 1935 they were said to be “seriously faded”. Some preservation work was carried out in the 1930s but by 1980 the murals were in desperate need of repair again.

According to an article in the West Briton it was going to cost an estimated £20,000 to preserve these “nationally important medieval wall paintings.” This work, which apparently corrected some earlier unsympathetic repairs, was completed in the 1990s (I believe) by a company called McNeilage Conservation, who specialise in the preservation of these kind of murals.
Let’s hope that these beautiful extraordinary pieces of Cornish medieval history are stable now and will last another 500 years.
Final Thoughts
When you first open the door into Breage church you are confronted by the enormous larger than life figures of Saint Christopher and Christ. They were intentionally positioned on the north wall of the church so that they would be immediately visible to those entering the building. The door they surround was known as the ‘Corpse Door’, perhaps because this was the door through which coffins were brought into the church. It was considered bad luck by the villagers to enter the church that way.
Treasures like these murals in Breage are another window into the past for us. A glimpse into and a connection with a world that at times feels as if it could have been on another planet not just another time. The symbolism of these murals, the stories connected to them, all gives us insight into our ancestors lives. What they valued, what they feared and what they must have stared at while listening to the vicar on a Sunday morning.
This article is so fascinating, thank you. So much so we are going to head down to Breage today to have a look.
Oh great! You’ll love them, and its a fascinating church!🙂
We have just come back, I am now inspired to look inside other churches in the area.
Wonderful story. I must go and see these.
Well worth visiting.
Well this is timely. I am a PhD candidate (Celtic Studies, University of Wales Trinity Saint David, Centre for Advanced Welsh and Celtic Studies 2021-24). As part of my thesis exploring the evolution and afterlife of Bottrell and Hunt’s nineteenth-century Cornish folklore collections (with a specific focus on tales associated with Pengersick Castle, not far from Breage) I’m aiming to republish the ‘Painting of the Frescoes’ novel with accompanying introduction and notes. The author, who you reference here as ‘Berylcan Jones’ was in fact Mary-Ann Barnes (nee Beal) wife of Breage vicar Jocelyne Barnes (who as you explain here, discovered the paintings in 1890) – writing under pseudonym ‘Mrs Berylcan Jones’ – this being an anacronym of her husbands name.
As just one of her many activities as vicar’s wife, Mary-Ann worked as transcriber of parish records – here she had access to births, marriage and burial records, and from there lifted details of the Pengersick family history which she weaves into her imaginative (but historically inaccurate) account of the frescoes’ creation (the historic figure to whom she accredits the painting’s creation lived and died a century prior to the church being built). Regardless of this, it is a charming tale, quite typical of Victorian literary genres – all gothic sentiment and moral sermon. I hope to do it – and her – justice, in my republication.
J o c e l y n B a r n e s
B e r y l c a n J o n e s.
This all sounds fascinating and makes me envious of your studies. Please keep us informed of your findings.
Fascinating. I am a Breage girl born and bred and my father before me. My Grandmother was a Porthlevener. I am very proud of my connections with Breage and Breage Church. My sister Roberta and I went to Sunday School and later on joined the choir. We were christened confirmed and married in Breage Church. Thank you so much for your interest and hard work in helping to put this information out there about this precious building.
Thank you Caroline, so glad you enjoyed it!
My great x3 grandfather and his wife and her parents were baptised there and were married there, before emigrating to Burra (Ngadjuri Country / South Australia) along with his wife’s brothers. Looking forward to visiting Breage on my upcoming trip to Kernow.
Hi The Cornish Bird I am the Secretary of Breage church PCC and I would like to contact you for a chat. What’s the best way for me a do this please?
Hello, you are welcome to email me
elizabeth.dale.writer@gmail.com
And we can arrange a chat ifnyou like.
These wall paintings are amazing – when I visited the church I wasn’t expecting to see figures larger than life. At St. Fagans Museum in Wales St. Teilo’s Church, a rescued historic building, has been restored to how it might have looked pre-Reformation. The Christ and St. Christopher wall paintings are almost identical to Breage’s and give an idea of how vibrant the colours would have originally been. As an aside, my 4 X great-granny, Dorcas Rowe, was born in Breage in 1786, so was probably baptised at St. Breaca’s!
My ancestors were from Breague (The Carters – not particularly law abiding by all accounts) and I can imagine them looking at these murals every week whilst pondering their fate! It makes me feel closer to them to see and read this article.