St Winefride's Well, Holywell, United Kingdom

St Winefride's Well is a healing spring that has been visited by pilgrims for more than a thousand years. Known as the 'Lourdes of Wales', it is still probably the oldest continually visited pilgrimage site in Great Britain.

The healing waters have been said to cause miraculous cures. The legend of Saint Winifred tells how, in AD 660, Caradoc, the son of a local prince, severed the head of the young Winifred after she spurned his advances. A spring rose from the ground at the spot where her head fell and she was later restored to life by her uncle, Saint Beuno.

Richard I visited the site in 1189 to pray for the success of his crusade, and Henry V was said by Adam of Usk to have travelled there on foot from Shrewsbury in 1416.

In the late 15th century, Lady Margaret Beaufort had built a chapel overlooking the well, which now opens onto a pool where visitors may bathe. Some of the structures at the well date from the reign of King Henry VII or earlier. Later, King Henry VIII caused the shrine and saintly relics to be destroyed, but some have been recovered to be housed at Shrewsbury and Holywell.

Address

Greenfield Street 1, Holywell, United Kingdom

See all sites in Holywell

Details

Founded: c. 660 AD
Category: Religious sites in United Kingdom

More Information

www.worldwidewriter.co.uk
www.saintwinefrideswell.com
en.wikipedia.org

Rating

4.7/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby

User Reviews

Justin Fisher (12 days ago)
Beautiful place has to be seen

chris randall (3 months ago)
Beautiful place to visit, very tranquil, the lady who was working in the visitor center was exceptionally polite upon arrival, would recommend a visit!

David & Sylvia Wright (5 months ago)
Worth the time spent visiting. This is an active place of religious worship. The story of Winifred is fascinating.

Winifred Oliobi (6 months ago)
It is a very holy calm place. The staff were very friendly with excellent customer services. The sisters in the convent were amazing and the accommodation was excellent. I visited August 2017 with my prayer intentions and I am extremely happy to say that all my prayer were answered within one year of this visit. I am encouraging anyone who have specific issue of concern to visit with faith. I will be visiting every year as much as possible. It is worth going. To God be Glory and honour to my beautiful patron saint Winifred. St Winifred, Pray for us.

pj smith (7 months ago)
Nice and peaceful,pity the gypos had been there and scrawled graffiti all over it. Nice historical place to visit. Very cheap admission too.

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Photo from Flickr, copyright szeke

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Church of Our Lady before Týn

The Church of Our Lady before Týn is a dominant feature of the Old Town of Prague and has been the main church of this part of the city since the 14th century. The church's towers are 80 m high and topped by four small spires.

In the 11th century, this area was occupied by a Romanesque church, which was built there for foreign merchants coming to the nearby Týn Courtyard. Later it was replaced by an early Gothic Church of Our Lady before Týn in 1256. Construction of the present church began in the 14th century in the late Gothic style under the influence of Matthias of Arras and later Peter Parler. By the beginning of the 15th century, construction was almost complete; only the towers, the gable and roof were missing. The church was controlled by Hussites for two centuries, including John of Rokycan, future archbishop of Prague, who became the church's vicar in 1427. The roof was completed in the 1450s, while the gable and northern tower were completed shortly thereafter during the reign of George of Poděbrady (1453–1471). His sculpture was placed on the gable, below a huge golden chalice, the symbol of the Hussites. The southern tower was not completed until 1511, under architect Matěj Rejsek.

After the lost Battle of White Mountain (1620) began the era of harsh recatholicisation (part of the Counter-Reformation). Consequently, the sculptures of 'heretic king' George of Poděbrady and the chalice were removed in 1626 and replaced by a sculpture of the Virgin Mary, with a giant halo made from by melting down the chalice. In 1679 the church was struck by lightning, and the subsequent fire heavily damaged the old vault, which was later replaced by a lower baroque vault.

Renovation works carried out in 1876–1895 were later reversed during extensive exterior renovation works in the years 1973–1995. Interior renovation is still in progress.

The northern portal is a wonderful example of Gothic sculpture from the Parler workshop, with a relief depicting the Crucifixion. The main entrance is located on the church's western face, through a narrow passage between the houses in front of the church.

The early baroque altarpiece has paintings by Karel Škréta from around 1649. The oldest pipe organ in Prague stands inside this church. The organ was built in 1673 by Heinrich Mundt and is one of the most representative 17th-century organs in Europe.

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St Winefride's Well