St. Birgitta – Bridget of Sweden
Swedish mystic and founder of the Bridgettines, a co-patroness of Europe known for her revelations.
- Born
- 1303, Sweden
- Died
- 1373, Rome
- Canonized
- 1391 by Pope Boniface IX
- Patronage
- Sweden, Europe, widows
St. Birgitta, known in English as Bridget of Sweden, was born in 1303 in the province of Uppland, Sweden, into one of the most powerful families of the kingdom. Married at about thirteen to the nobleman Ulf Gudmarsson, she bore eight children, among them St. Catherine of Sweden, and served for a time as principal lady-in-waiting at the Swedish royal court, where she did not hesitate to admonish the king and queen. Her early life shows that profound holiness can flower within marriage, motherhood, and public duty. After a pilgrimage with her husband to Santiago de Compostela, Ulf died around 1344 at the Cistercian abbey of Alvastra, and Birgitta gave herself wholly to prayer and penance. The mystical experiences she had known since childhood intensified: she received a long series of visions and messages, later gathered as the Celestial Revelations, which were examined by theologians in her lifetime and widely read across medieval Europe. Acting on what she believed was Christ's command, she planned a new religious community, the Order of the Most Holy Savior, or Bridgettines, centered at Vadstena in Sweden. In 1349 Birgitta traveled to Rome for the Jubilee of 1350 and remained there for most of her remaining years, becoming a fearless voice for reform. She cared for the poor and for Swedish pilgrims, rebuked corruption among clergy and princes, and repeatedly urged the popes to leave Avignon and return to Rome. In 1371 she undertook a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, where she received vivid visions of the Nativity and Passion that influenced Christian art for centuries. Birgitta died in Rome on July 23, 1373, and her remains were carried in triumph back to Vadstena, where the abbey church still preserves them. She was canonized in 1391 by Pope Boniface IX, and in 1999 Pope St. John Paul II named her a co-patroness of Europe, alongside St. Catherine of Siena and St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross. Her feast is celebrated on July 23, and she is invoked as a patroness of Sweden, Europe, and widows.