Gunwalloe Church, The Lizard, Cornwall

St Winwalloe Church, Gunwalloe, Cornwall

I have been wanting to visit this church for a few years but last time we visited it was closed, I think for renovation work. However, it was well worth the visit. I soon found it easy to enter into prayer and became oblivious to the many tourist coming in and out of the church. It is located right on the cliffside below sand dunes and is a popular site for visitors to the beaches. 

I found myself doing deep business with God as He gently probed my heart and dealt with some wrong attitudes. I was led into deep repentance for these and brought heart hurts before Him who heals. Peace followed and a deep sense of rest despite all the people around. Holiness, hush, reverence, rest and a profound ancientness were all things I experienced.

After a while I move outside and sit in the churchyard, looking over a garden of wildflowers and the sand dunes beyond. I am less disturbed here by visitors.  Father begins to speak:

"I delight in this place. I have been welcomed here by the hearts of my children down the millennia and on into today’s generation. Many are drawn jnto the church not realising it is I drawing them in and they receive a kiss from my Spirit - even when they don’t realise it is me. I long for them to recognise me, to recognise that it is the empty place in their hearts drawing them inside. Pray for the flame which resides here of my Spirit to ignite their hearts to yearn after and seek after me. For I would meet with them and reveal my deep love for them. I would restore broken hearts and broken lives, broken hopes and broken dreams. I would put joy instead of tears, laughter instead of fears, for I love every single one of my children made in my image and I long for all to come to know me. Pray that even in this remote ancient place of prayer many would find their way to me." 

As I start to pray as God directs,  I am sitting in the flower filled graveyard.

 I begin to see a flame in the Spirit hovering over the roof of the church. I can see that it goes through the roof right into the church and is an angel of fire of God’s holy presence. He has been here a very long time, down through the centuries.

I continue to pray that everyone who visits would encounter the fire of God’s love as they come here. 

As I pray I watch the angel bend down and place fire into the hands of anyone who turns their heart God-ward. It is a gentle and tender encounter for them as love floods through them when they encounter the fire. Some immediately recognise it as God, others just sense something and go away less troubled and more peaceful a step closer to knowing Jesus.

It is immensely precious to see into the Spirit realm what God is doing, continues to do, even when we are not always aware. The prayers of those who have laid a foundation and our own prayers enable God to break into people's lives bringing hope and salvation. Even in these remote out of the way places, where people come for holidays and pleasure, God wants to meet with them and reveal His love to yearning hearts. 

Not much is known about Wynwalloe's association with The Lizard but there is another church dedicated to him at Church Cove near The Lizard, as well as this one at Gunwalloe. There is mention previously of a holy well at Gunwalloe but there is no evidence of this today, perhaps because of the shifting sands.

He was a Breton Celtic Christian living about 460-532AD and the founder of a monastery in Brittany Landevennec Abbey, also known as the Monastery of Winwaloe, on the banks of the River Landevennec's estuary. It is just south of Brest. He was the son of prince of Dumnonia, the Brythonic kingdom which is now Devon and Cornwall. His parents fled to Brittany to avoid the plague and he was born there. He was educated by Budoc and had a vision of St Patrick which led him to found his own monastery. There are churches dedicated to him in Cornwall, Devon, Wales, and a monastery in Norfolk as well as Brittany. Tradition says he founded these himself but it can't be corroborated but he may well have sent out his disciples to these places or his successor Gwenhael who did come to Britain may have named the churches after Wynwalloe.

Location: OS SW660205

What3Words: caveman.chained.ratty