Saint Winifred - Saint of the Day
A repost from Costing Not Less Than Everything
Seventh-century Abbess of Gwytherin in Denbighshire, miraculously restored to life by Saint Bueno after being beheaded by an angry rejected suitor.
Her miraculous healing well is still busy today at Holywell, known as the Lourdes of Wales, and remains a place of pilgrimage. There is also a healing well named after the saint at Woolston in Shropshire.
For fans of Brother Cadfael, the monk detective, her relics feature in A Morbid Taste for Bones, by Ellis Peters.
Here is an ancient hymn to St Winifred:
Virgo Venans Velut Rosa – Virgin Blossoming as the Rose
More fair than all the vernal flowers
Embosom’d in the dales,
St. Winifred in beauty bloom’d
The rose of ancient Wales.
With every loveliest grace adorn’d,
The Lamb’s unsullied Bride,
Apart from all the world she dwelt
Upon this mountain side.
Till Caradoc, with impious love,
Her fleeing steps pursued,
And in her sacred maiden blood
His cruel hands imbrued.
He straight the debt of vengeance paid,
Ingulf d in yawning flame ;
But God a deed of wonder work’d
To her immortal fame.
For where the grassy sward received
The Martyr’s sever’d head,
This holy fountain upward gush’d,
Of crystal vein’d with red.
Here miracles of might are wrought ;
Here all diseases fly;
Here see the blind, and speak the dumb,
Who but in faith draw nigh.
Assist us, glorious Winifred,
Dear Virgin, ever blest !
The passions of our hearts appease,
And lull each storm to rest.
[Image file is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication.]
Seventh-century Abbess of Gwytherin in Denbighshire, miraculously restored to life by Saint Bueno after being beheaded by an angry rejected suitor.
Her miraculous healing well is still busy today at Holywell, known as the Lourdes of Wales, and remains a place of pilgrimage. There is also a healing well named after the saint at Woolston in Shropshire.
For fans of Brother Cadfael, the monk detective, her relics feature in A Morbid Taste for Bones, by Ellis Peters.
Here is an ancient hymn to St Winifred:
Virgo Venans Velut Rosa – Virgin Blossoming as the Rose
More fair than all the vernal flowers
Embosom’d in the dales,
St. Winifred in beauty bloom’d
The rose of ancient Wales.
With every loveliest grace adorn’d,
The Lamb’s unsullied Bride,
Apart from all the world she dwelt
Upon this mountain side.
Till Caradoc, with impious love,
Her fleeing steps pursued,
And in her sacred maiden blood
His cruel hands imbrued.
He straight the debt of vengeance paid,
Ingulf d in yawning flame ;
But God a deed of wonder work’d
To her immortal fame.
For where the grassy sward received
The Martyr’s sever’d head,
This holy fountain upward gush’d,
Of crystal vein’d with red.
Here miracles of might are wrought ;
Here all diseases fly;
Here see the blind, and speak the dumb,
Who but in faith draw nigh.
Assist us, glorious Winifred,
Dear Virgin, ever blest !
The passions of our hearts appease,
And lull each storm to rest.
[Image file is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication.]
My mother's maternal side came from this area and she used to keep some of the Holy Water from the Well. The water can be requested by writing to the nuns at The Well if anyone would like some.
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