Saint Ia of Cornwall was a 5th or 6th century Cornish

Cornish people

The Cornish are a people associated with Cornwall, a county and Duchy in the south-west of the United Kingdom that is seen in some respects as distinct from England, having more in common with the other Celtic parts of the United Kingdom such as Wales, as well as with other Celtic nations in Europe...

 evangelist and martyr

Martyr

A martyr is somebody who suffers persecution and death for refusing to renounce, or accept, a belief or cause, usually religious.-Meaning:...

.

Ia was said to have been an Irish

Irish people

The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...

 princess, the sister of Saint Erc. She was a spiritual student of Saint Baricus and travelled as a missionary

Missionary

A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...

 to Cornwall where she joined Saints Fingar and Piala. Legend holds that they had up to 777 companions and that she sailed across the Irish Sea

Irish Sea

The Irish Sea separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is connected to the Celtic Sea in the south by St George's Channel, and to the Atlantic Ocean in the north by the North Channel. Anglesey is the largest island within the Irish Sea, followed by the Isle of Man...

 on an ivy leaf. Ia was martyred on the River Hayle

River Hayle

The River Hayle is a small river in west Cornwall, UK which issues into St Ives Bay at Hayle on Cornwall's Atlantic coast.The River Hayle is approx 12 miles long and it rises south-west of Crowan village. Its course is west for approx 5 miles...

 and buried at St Ives, Cornwall

St Ives, Cornwall

St Ives is a seaside town, civil parish and port in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The town lies north of Penzance and west of Camborne on the coast of the Celtic Sea. In former times it was commercially dependent on fishing. The decline in fishing, however, caused a shift in commercial...

, where St. Ia's Church, St. Ives

St. Ia's Church, St. Ives

St Ia, St. Ives Parish Church, St Ives is a parish church in the Church of England located in St Ives, Cornwall. It is dedicated to Saint Ia of Cornwall, a 5th- or 6th-century Irish saint.-History and description:...

, of which she is now the patron

Patron saint

A patron saint is a saint who is regarded as the intercessor and advocate in heaven of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or person...

, was erected over her grave. The town built up around it. Her feast day is 3 February. She is mentioned in the Life of Saint Gwinear and John Leland gives details from a Latin life of Ia which is no longer extant. The church of Plouyé

Plouyé

Plouyé is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in north-western France.-Population:Inhabitants of Plouyé are called in French Plouyéziens.-References:** -External links:*...

 in Brittany

Brittany

Brittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...

was probably dedicated originally to this saint.