Wales has many Holy Wells, which in the past were much visited as places of healing and prayer. This was, and still is, particularly true of St Winefride’s Well, from which the town of Holywell takes its name.
The origins of the well, according to legend, go back to the 7th century when a rejected suitor beheaded the Welsh Princess Gwefrewi (Winifride). The head, legend says, bounced down the hill to a spring. Her uncle St Beuno then picked it up and replaced the head on her neck and so restored Winifride’s life for another 15 years. A shrine was then built on the spot and throughout the Middle Ages pilgrims flocked here for healing. In about 1500 Margaret Beaufort, the Mother of Henry VII rebuil the shrine to its present splendour. Even after the Reformation the shrine became as it still does, a place of pilgrimage and healing.
With reference to David S. Yerburgh; “Six Tours from The Town & Vale of Llangollen, 2005.
Picture from Wikipedia
No comments:
Post a Comment