Plus you
will get a brand new, and beautifully Medal that is 1". Two sided silver oxidized, and made in Italy. On one side is the image of Saint Brigid and the reverse side says pray for us. Die-cast in Italy for exceptional detail, you
will enjoy the beauty of the medal made by the finest craftsmen in the
world. Attached jump ring is included, and it is silver oxidized - that
wonderful finish that only the Italians have perfected.
Brigid of
Sweden; born as Birgitta Birgersdotter, also Birgitta of Vadstena, or Saint Birgitta,
was a mystic and saint, and founder of the Bridgettines nuns and monks after
the death of her husband of twenty years. Outside of Sweden, she was also known
as the Princess of Nericia and was the mother of Catherine of Vadstena. (Though
normally named as Bridget of Sweden, she was not a member of Swedish royalty.)
She was born
in 1303. In 1316, at the age of 14 she married Ulf Gudmarsson of the family of
Ulvåsa, Lord of Närke, to whom she bore eight children, four daughters and four
sons. Bridget became known for her works of charity, particularly toward
Östergötland's unwed mothers and their children. When she was in her early
thirties, she was summoned to be principal lady-in-waiting to the new Queen of
Sweden, Blanche of Namur. In 1341, she and her husband went on pilgrimage to
Santiago de Compostela.
In 1344,
shortly after their return, Ulf died at the Cistercian Alvastra Abbey in
Östergötland. After this loss, Birgitta became a member of the Third Order of
St. Francis and devoted herself to a life of prayer and caring for the poor and
the sick.
It was about
this time that she developed the idea of establishing the religious community
which was to become the Order of the Most Holy Saviour, or the Brigittines,
whose principal house at Vadstena was later richly endowed by King Magnus IV of
Sweden and his queen. One distinctive feature of the houses of the Order was
that they were double monasteries, with both men and women forming a joint
community, though with separate cloisters. They were to live in poor convents
and to give all surplus income to the poor. However, they were allowed to have
as many books as they pleased.
In 1350, a
Jubilee Year, Bridget braved a plague-stricken Europe to make a pilgrimage to
Rome accompanied by her daughter, Catherine, and a small party of priests and
disciples. This was done partly to obtain from the Pope the authorization of
the new Order and partly in pursuance of her self-imposed mission to elevate
the moral tone of the age. This was during the period of the Avignon Papacy
within the Roman Catholic Church, however, and she had to wait for the return
of the papacy to Rome from the French city of Avignon, a move for which she
agitated for many years.
It was not
until 1370 that Pope Urban V, during his brief attempt to re-establish the
papacy in Rome, confirmed the Rule of the Order, but meanwhile Birgitta had
made herself universally beloved in Rome by her kindness and good works. Save
for occasional pilgrimages, including one to Jerusalem in 1373, she remained in
Rome until her death on 23 July 1373, urging ecclesiastical reform.
Bridget went
to confession every day, and had a constant smiling, glowing face. Although she
never returned to Sweden, her years in Rome were far from happy, being hounded
by debts and by opposition to her work against Church abuses. She was
originally buried at San Lorenzo in Panisperna before her remains were returned
to Sweden. She was canonized in the year 1391 by Pope Boniface IX, which was
confirmed by the Council of Constance in 1415. Because of new discussions about
her works, the Council of Basel confirmed the orthodoxy of the revelations in
1436.