St Michael's Chapel, Hermitage and Holy Well, Roche

This loneliest of crag chapels is now an evocative pilgrim destination outside a little moorland village, another mountaintop holy place dedicated to the Archangel

Highlights

• Striking hermitage rock chapel
• Secluded holy well

St. Michael’s Chapel, perched on a rocky crag, evokes a sense of holiness. Though the saints and miracles linked to it are uncertain, the site carries a long history. The chapel is dedicated to St. Michael the Archangel, following medieval tradition to honour him on mountaintops.

Built in 1409, the chapel’s two-story structure includes a priest’s room beneath the chapel. You can ascend to the top via iron ladders securely bolted into the rockface. The walls are mostly intact, and the views from the top are breathtaking, allowing a sense of the isolation once sought by medieval hermits.

Before the chapel was constructed, a cell had already been cut into the rock, but its origins remain unknown. More is known about the last inhabitants—one of whom contracted leprosy and lived here with his daughter, who tended to him. This connects to St. Gundred’s Well, about 1.5 miles north of Roche. Some claim this was the well used to bathe the leper’s wounds, though other wells in the vicinity might have been more accessible.

St. Gundred’s Well is difficult to locate, situated in boggy ground under trees and near a recently built section of the A30. Though hard to find, the wellhouse dates back to the 14th century, with ruins of another structure, possibly a chapel, surrounding it.

Roche’s parish church, dedicated to St. Gomondas (or St. Gonand), adds another layer of mystery, as no one knows who this saint really was. Some speculate that the name may be a variant of St. Conan, a 10th-century bishop of St. Germans. Ancient and Holy Wells of Cornwall ties these stories together, suggesting that St. Conan lived at the hermitage and blessed the well, while Gundred was simply the leper’s daughter. The book offers further documentary evidence.

In Roche parish churchyard, a tall stone slab with a rudimentary Celtic cross stands near the porch, serving as evidence of early Christian activity in the area.

Directions

St. Michael’s Chapel: off Fore Street (B3274), Roche, St. Austell PL26 8JZ

www.cornwall.gov.uk (search for Roche Rock)

W3W: elbow.solids.gong

GPS: 50.4021N 4.8283W (hermitage rock chapel)

W3W: curls.fakes.fats

GPS: 50.4206N 4.8377W (well)

To the chapel: Head south of Roche along the B3274. Turn left at the mini-roundabout near St. Gomondas’ Church, and the chapel is visible on your right after 300 yards.

To the well: Drive north of Roche on the B3274. Cross the A30, then take the first right toward Demelza. After 500 yards, turn left, park nearby, and follow the farm track to Higher Holywell Farm. A public footpath near the house leads to the well after a short walk.