The Parish and Community of Castel, Guernsey

Parish Origins

The names of most of the parishes in Guernsey, came into being when a community area was allocated to a church, with the priest being responsible for 'cure of the souls' within the defined area.

Most of the parishes in the island have Saint's names - there are, however, four which do not, Vale, Torteval, Forest and Castel. Forgetting the first three, the reason why Castel is so called is because the site upon which the church is built was originally a Roman Fort - there are roman tiles incorporated into the east wall, and a 'hypocaust' was allegedly found under the nave in the last century.

Thus popular knowledge in the island would be that this was the site of the 'chastel' or castle. If you visit the church you will see why the Romans built a castle there, it has a commanding view of the north of the island, and without trees, almost from west to east.

In addition to this, it is built on the main route from the town to the west and is almost centrally located in the island.

When the nave was opened last century, an ancient 'mother goddess' was unearthed and has been stood near to the west door of the church. Thus this place appears to have been revered as a sacred site for some millennia.

The church is dedicated to 'Sainte Marie du Castro' and in it's present form has stood since the early 14th Century.

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