St German's Cathedral Isle of Man, Peel

The Isle of Man’s cathedral is currently in its third location in the town of Peel and is a major highlight of the Triskelion Way thanks to the legacy of St German‍

Highlights

• Cathedral site of early Celtic missionary

St German’s cathedral church stands as the spiritual centre of the Isle of Man and is dedicated to a local Celtic saint, a configuration seemingly unchanged since the 12th century. Venerable pilgrimage credentials indeed, although in fact, the cathedral has been on three different sites around Peel during the past millennium. Its current home was only elevated to cathedral status in 1980.

The cathedral is now sited at Kirk German church, which was built in the late 19th century and served only the local parish for 100 years before its bishop was installed on All Saints’ Day. Rather confusingly, the cathedral was rebranded as Cathedral Isle of Man in 2015, a title that appears to drop any reference to a saint, even though this building is simultaneously head of a diocese and a parish church, still serving the parish of St German. Names aplenty, in other words.

In like manner, the cathedral is at the heart of the Diocese of Sodor and Man. Sodor and Man are actually the same place, the tautologous name serving as a reminder of the rich mix of cultural influences here. The name ‘Sodor’ comes from the Norwegian name Sudreys, the southern isles, reflecting its control by Norse rulers until 1266, when the island became part of Scotland.

The original cathedral was situated on a little island just offshore, now connected by a causeway to Peel itself. Just to add to the merry mix of ancient names, this former cathedral island is called St Patrick’s Isle. A legend suggests that this was where St Patrick himself once landed, although that tradition might be no older than the 13th century. The red and grey stone ruins of this early cathedral can still be visited on the island, an attractive site.

St Patrick and St German were both missionaries around the same time, deep in the Celtic period of 5th-century Britain. St German is not to be confused with the missionary French bishop St German of Auxerre who visited England twice (see St Germans, but he is in fact St German of Man, a local spiritual leader and perhaps the island’s first bishop. His saint’s day is celebrated on 13 July, although early documentary evidence about his life is lacking. It is entirely possible that he was ordained bishop by St Patrick, making the configuration of the original cathedral and island a fine place of Celtic pilgrimage.

Back on the mainland, the current cathedral makes good the lack of documentary evidence with a striking icon of the saint, depicting his red hair cut in a Celtic monastic tonsure, the forehead shaved bare. One of the later records about this saint says that he died when his missionary work remained unfinished, something the modern cathedral wryly claims as an ongoing situation. The cathedral has developed its gardens into themed areas, a living story about the island’s faith traditions.‍

Cathedral Isle of Man, Derby Road, Peel, Isle of Man, IM5 1HH

www.cathedral.im

W3W: user.trickle.fonts

GPS: 54.2219N 4.6910W

The cathedral is open every day 9am-6pm, and is free to enter. The original cathedral is a 10-minute walk away, situated in the grounds of Peel Castle, on St Patrick’s Isle. It is open 1 April to early November, entry £6 adults, £3 children. For full details, see www.visitisleofman.com and search for Peel Castle.