St Buriana was a 6th-century Irish saint and missionary who traveled from Ireland to Cornwall. According to tradition, she was the daughter of a Munster chieftain and crossed the sea in a coracle to spread Christianity among the local population. She lived as a hermit near Penzance, where she established a chapel that later became the site of a parish church. One legend suggests she used her spiritual influence to heal the paralyzed son of King Geraint of Dumnonia.