never returned - Little Walsingham Norfolk
Anglican Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham, Norfolk
In 1061 Richeldis de Faverches had a vision of the BVM in which she was led in spirit to Nazareth. She was shown the house where the Archangel Gabriel appeared to the BVM , and was asked to build a replica in Walsingham to serve as a perpetual memorial of the Annunciation. She was promised that 'Whoever seeks my help there will not go away empty-handed.' The simple wooden house that Richelda built soon became the focus of special devotion to Our Lady. The 'Holy House' was later encased in stone to protect it from the elements.
Afterwards her son Geoffrey granted "to God and St Mary and to Edwy his clerk the chapel of our Lady" which his mother had founded with the intention that Edwy should found a priory here. In 1153, the Augustinian Canons founded a Priory to care for the spiritual needs of the pilgrims. Their magnificent Priory Church was added in the 15c . Only the ruin of the Priory arch remains www.flickr.com/gp/52219527@N00/h95aT6 and archaeology has placed the site of the 'Holy House' in its shadow.
Walsingham became one of the foremost shrines of medieval Christendom. Among the pilgrims to the 'Holy House' were many royal visitors. Henry III in 1226, Edward I (11 times), Edward II in 1315, Edward III in 1361, Richard II in 1383, Edward IV in 1469, Henry VI in 1487 (and many other times) and Henry VIII in 1511 with his wife Catherine of Aragon, in thanksgiving for the birth of his son, Prince Henry (who died soon after).
In 1340, the Slipper Chapel was built at Houghton St Giles, a mile outside Walsingham. This was the final 'station' chapel on the way to Walsingham. It was here that pilgrims would remove their shoes to walk the final 'Holy Mile' to the Shrine barefoot.
The image of Our Lady developed much later and so from the earliest days the primary focus had been this humble home. It was to this little wooden chapel that generations of pilgrims made their way,
On 1st January 1511 Catherine of Aragon gave birth to a boy to great rejoicing, most of all by his father Henry Vlll who on the 11th travelled to Walsingham to give thanks, Erasmus describes what Henry would have experienced - The Virgin's milk was kept on the high altar, solidified like "powered chalk, tempered with white of egg" , and protected by a crystal vial. The custodian wearing a linen vestment with a stole round his neck, prostrated himself in adoration before offering the vial to be kissed. The pilgrim knelt on the lowest step of the altar and reverently touched the relic with his lips. The then custodian held out a board "like those used in Germany by toll collectors on bridges" for the cash offering. Henry offered £1. 13s 4d. Sadly the baby died on the 23rd February - Henry never returned here
Visiting in 1513, Erasmus also wrote "When you look in you would say it is the abode of saints, so brilliantly does it shine with gems, gold and silver ... Our Lady stands in the dark at the right side of the altar ... a little image, remarkable neither for its size, material or workmanship."
However by 1514 a visitation of Bishop Nicke revealed that the prior was leading a scandalous life and that, among many other things, he treated the canons with insolence and brutality; the canons themselves frequented taverns and were quarrelsome. The prior, William Lowth, was removed and by 1526 some decent order had been restored.
Henry VIII ordered the dissolution of the monasteries and in 1538 the Priory was closed, the 'Holy House' burned to the ground and the statue of Our Lady taken to "Chelsea by London and their publicly burnt". The priory destruction was supervised by local landowner, Sir Roger Townshend. By that time it was famous and its fall symbolic as it had become one of the greatest religious centres in England and Europe, together with Glastonbury and Canterbury.
The buildings were looted and largely destroyed, but the memory of it was less easy to eradicate. Sir Roger wrote to Cromwell in 1564 that a woman of nearby Wells had declared that a miracle had been done by the statue after it had been carried away to London. He had the woman put in the stocks on market day to be abused by the village folk but concluded "I cannot perceyve but the seyd image is not yett out of the sum of ther heddes."
The site of the priory with the churchyard and gardens was granted by the Crown to Thomas Sydney. All that remained of it was the gatehouse, the chancel arch and a few outbuildings
In 1921 Rev Alfred Hope Patten 1885-1958 www.flickr.com/gp/52219527@N00/1p53Y4 became vicar of Great and Little Walsingham with St Giles' Houghton. He is best known for his restoration of the Anglican Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham. Within months of arriving he had a statue of Our Lady of Walsingham modelled on the medieval priory's seal www.flickr.com/gp/52219527@N00/27TRkx and placed it in the parish's main church, St Mary's. He also started Marian devotions in his church and - aided by the League of Our Lady (later the Society of Mary) - the first pilgrimages from London. As the number of pilgrims to the site increased, the Holy House and its covering chapel were built, and dedicated in 1931 and the statue was moved to it. The chapel was extended in 1938 to form the current Anglican shrine On his death he was buried in the churchyard of St Mary's. www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=pv&GRid=158173...
Every night at 6pm the many intercessions from all over the world are presented before the shrine
www.walsinghamanglican.org.uk/the_shrine/the_story_so_far...
never returned - Little Walsingham Norfolk
Anglican Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham, Norfolk
In 1061 Richeldis de Faverches had a vision of the BVM in which she was led in spirit to Nazareth. She was shown the house where the Archangel Gabriel appeared to the BVM , and was asked to build a replica in Walsingham to serve as a perpetual memorial of the Annunciation. She was promised that 'Whoever seeks my help there will not go away empty-handed.' The simple wooden house that Richelda built soon became the focus of special devotion to Our Lady. The 'Holy House' was later encased in stone to protect it from the elements.
Afterwards her son Geoffrey granted "to God and St Mary and to Edwy his clerk the chapel of our Lady" which his mother had founded with the intention that Edwy should found a priory here. In 1153, the Augustinian Canons founded a Priory to care for the spiritual needs of the pilgrims. Their magnificent Priory Church was added in the 15c . Only the ruin of the Priory arch remains www.flickr.com/gp/52219527@N00/h95aT6 and archaeology has placed the site of the 'Holy House' in its shadow.
Walsingham became one of the foremost shrines of medieval Christendom. Among the pilgrims to the 'Holy House' were many royal visitors. Henry III in 1226, Edward I (11 times), Edward II in 1315, Edward III in 1361, Richard II in 1383, Edward IV in 1469, Henry VI in 1487 (and many other times) and Henry VIII in 1511 with his wife Catherine of Aragon, in thanksgiving for the birth of his son, Prince Henry (who died soon after).
In 1340, the Slipper Chapel was built at Houghton St Giles, a mile outside Walsingham. This was the final 'station' chapel on the way to Walsingham. It was here that pilgrims would remove their shoes to walk the final 'Holy Mile' to the Shrine barefoot.
The image of Our Lady developed much later and so from the earliest days the primary focus had been this humble home. It was to this little wooden chapel that generations of pilgrims made their way,
On 1st January 1511 Catherine of Aragon gave birth to a boy to great rejoicing, most of all by his father Henry Vlll who on the 11th travelled to Walsingham to give thanks, Erasmus describes what Henry would have experienced - The Virgin's milk was kept on the high altar, solidified like "powered chalk, tempered with white of egg" , and protected by a crystal vial. The custodian wearing a linen vestment with a stole round his neck, prostrated himself in adoration before offering the vial to be kissed. The pilgrim knelt on the lowest step of the altar and reverently touched the relic with his lips. The then custodian held out a board "like those used in Germany by toll collectors on bridges" for the cash offering. Henry offered £1. 13s 4d. Sadly the baby died on the 23rd February - Henry never returned here
Visiting in 1513, Erasmus also wrote "When you look in you would say it is the abode of saints, so brilliantly does it shine with gems, gold and silver ... Our Lady stands in the dark at the right side of the altar ... a little image, remarkable neither for its size, material or workmanship."
However by 1514 a visitation of Bishop Nicke revealed that the prior was leading a scandalous life and that, among many other things, he treated the canons with insolence and brutality; the canons themselves frequented taverns and were quarrelsome. The prior, William Lowth, was removed and by 1526 some decent order had been restored.
Henry VIII ordered the dissolution of the monasteries and in 1538 the Priory was closed, the 'Holy House' burned to the ground and the statue of Our Lady taken to "Chelsea by London and their publicly burnt". The priory destruction was supervised by local landowner, Sir Roger Townshend. By that time it was famous and its fall symbolic as it had become one of the greatest religious centres in England and Europe, together with Glastonbury and Canterbury.
The buildings were looted and largely destroyed, but the memory of it was less easy to eradicate. Sir Roger wrote to Cromwell in 1564 that a woman of nearby Wells had declared that a miracle had been done by the statue after it had been carried away to London. He had the woman put in the stocks on market day to be abused by the village folk but concluded "I cannot perceyve but the seyd image is not yett out of the sum of ther heddes."
The site of the priory with the churchyard and gardens was granted by the Crown to Thomas Sydney. All that remained of it was the gatehouse, the chancel arch and a few outbuildings
In 1921 Rev Alfred Hope Patten 1885-1958 www.flickr.com/gp/52219527@N00/1p53Y4 became vicar of Great and Little Walsingham with St Giles' Houghton. He is best known for his restoration of the Anglican Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham. Within months of arriving he had a statue of Our Lady of Walsingham modelled on the medieval priory's seal www.flickr.com/gp/52219527@N00/27TRkx and placed it in the parish's main church, St Mary's. He also started Marian devotions in his church and - aided by the League of Our Lady (later the Society of Mary) - the first pilgrimages from London. As the number of pilgrims to the site increased, the Holy House and its covering chapel were built, and dedicated in 1931 and the statue was moved to it. The chapel was extended in 1938 to form the current Anglican shrine On his death he was buried in the churchyard of St Mary's. www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=pv&GRid=158173...
Every night at 6pm the many intercessions from all over the world are presented before the shrine
www.walsinghamanglican.org.uk/the_shrine/the_story_so_far...