The site of Santon parish church, which is dedicated to St Sanctans. It stands on the site of an early medieval keeill but the present church is of late 18th century date. The original keeill is said to have been built around 1,500 years ago, well before Augustine's mission arrived in Canterbury from Rome, as a small structure roughly 20 feet by 12 feet with an adjoining monk's cell, the kind of site early missionaries typically chose near a well or spring. Santon is one of the Island's 17 ancient parish churches; the parish system itself was formally established in the 12th century under the Norse king Olaf I. The present church was rebuilt on the old plan in 1720 and again in 1774, with the interior restored in 1932 and further alterations since. St Sanctain (from whom the parish and church take their name) is traditionally said to have been a disciple of St Patrick and Bishop of Cell da Les; confusion with the name 'St Ann' led the dedication to be mistakenly recorded as such during the 17th century, an error only officially corrected in 1891.