VoyForums
[ Show ]
Support VoyForums
[ Shrink ]
VoyForums Announcement: Programming and providing support for this service has been a labor of love since 1997. We are one of the few services online who values our users' privacy, and have never sold your information. We have even fought hard to defend your privacy in legal cases; however, we've done it with almost no financial support -- paying out of pocket to continue providing the service. Due to the issues imposed on us by advertisers, we also stopped hosting most ads on the forums many years ago. We hope you appreciate our efforts.

Show your support by donating any amount. (Note: We are still technically a for-profit company, so your contribution is not tax-deductible.) PayPal Acct: Feedback:

Donate to VoyForums (PayPal):

[ Login ] [ Contact Forum Admin ] [ Main index ] [ Post a new message ] [ Search | Check update time | Archives: 1, 2, 3, 4, [5], 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 ]

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

Date Posted: 14:23:51 12/13/03 Sat
Author: ketch - 3 Nov 2003
Subject: St Winifred and the Holy Well

Saint Winifred's Well



November 3rd - Feast Day of St Winifred.

St Winifred probably lived in Wales sometime in the seventh century. A local prince named Caradoc became obsessed with her beauty, but Winifred spurned his advances dedicating her life to the service of God. The prince became enraged and chased her as she tried to flee to the local chapel. The furious Cardoc cut off Winifred's head with his sword, and her head rolled down a hill. At the point where the head stopped a spring immediately burst out of the ground. Meanwhile the prince fell down dead, and the earth opened to swallow his corpse.

Winifred's uncle, St Beuno had been preaching in the church. Coming outside he picked up the head, and carried it to the body of Winifred. There he prayed before reattaching the head whereupon the girl was brought back to life.

St Winifred became the patron saint of virgins and is sometimes depicted carrying her head under her arm. The spring continued to flow up till the early part of the twentieth century, when extensive mining operation at nearby Halkyn Mountain caused the waters to be diverted. Today pilgrims see water gushing forth at the point from the local supply.

The waters have been a place of pilgrimage for over a thousand years and have witnessed many claimed miracle cures. Pilgrims have included Richard I who went to pray for victory in the Crusades, Henry V and James II.

In the garden below the well there are a number of stones said to be stained with the blood of St Winifred, a red moss which renews itself each year.

St. Winifred's Well

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]
[ Contact Forum Admin ]

Forum timezone: GMT-8
VF Version: 3.00b, ConfDB:
Before posting please read our privacy policy.
VoyForums(tm) is a Free Service from Voyager Info-Systems.
Copyright © 1998-2019 Voyager Info-Systems. All Rights Reserved.