Saint Frideswide
Saint Frideswide (born c. 650 AD in Oxford, England; died October 19, c. 727 AD in Oxford, England) was an Anglo-Saxon princess who founded a monastery on the site of what is now Christ Church, Oxford. She is the patron saint of both Oxford University and the city of Oxford. Her legend tells of her miraculous escape from a pursuing prince and the divine blindness that struck him at the city gates. Her feast day is October 19.
Stored in Cargo: Saint Frideswide
| Saint Frideswide | |
|---|---|
| Feast Day | October 19 |
| Profession | Princess; foundress; abbess; virgin |
| Rel. Affiliation | Order of Saint Benedict (traditionally); Anglo-Saxon church |
| Patronage | Oxford; Oxford University; Christ Church Oxford; Oxfordshire; those fleeing unwanted marriage; virgins |
| Attributes | Princess's crown set aside; abbess's staff; ox (the ''Oxford'' ford of oxen); lily; holy well; blind prince cured |
| Birthplace | Oxford (or nearby), Oxfordshire, England |
| Death Place | Oxford, Oxfordshire, England |
| Cause of Death | Natural causes; died peacefully at her monastery in Oxford |
| Primary Shrine | Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford — the surviving watching loft; the location of her shrine before the Reformation; a principal site of veneration for English Catholics and Anglicans; a holy well at Binsey (St. Margaret's Church) |
| Liturgical Class | Not in universal Roman Calendar; feast October 19; observed in Diocese of Oxford; Church of England commemorates October 19 |
| Historic Class | Not included |
Biography
Frideswide (Friðuswith in Old English — peace-strong) was born around 650 AD, probably in or near Oxford. Her father is traditionally named as Didan, a sub-king or prince of the Oxford region. She was educated in a convent and took a vow of virginity.
A local prince named Algar sought her hand in marriage and would not accept her refusal. She fled from Oxford toward Binsey (near the Thames), where she lived in hiding for some time. According to her hagiography, when Algar pursued her to the walls of Oxford, he was struck blind at the gates — a divine sign that he was not to have her. She interceded for him and his sight was restored.
She returned to Oxford and founded a monastery on the site now occupied by Christ Church. She governed it as abbess until her death on October 19, c. 727 AD.
Her relics remained at Oxford. In 1180, Saint Hugh of Lincoln and the Bishop of Lincoln oversaw a formal translation of her relics — a pivotal moment for her cult. By the 12th century, Oxford was becoming a center of learning, and Frideswide was its patroness. In 1289 her shrine was elaborately reconstructed; it became one of the great English pilgrimage destinations of the Middle Ages.
The monastery was dissolved at the Reformation (1524–1525) by Cardinal Wolsey, who refounded it as Cardinal College; it was later re-founded as Christ Church by Henry VIII. Christ Church Cathedral — the seat of the Diocese of Oxford — occupies the medieval monastic church. Fragments of Frideswide's shrine survive and are displayed in the cathedral.
The holy well at Binsey (the Treacle Well — from Middle English triacle, a healing remedy) is still visited. Lewis Carroll (Charles Dodgson), a Christ Church don, immortalized it as the Treacle Well in Alice in Wonderland (the Mad Hatter's tea party, where the dormouse tells of three children who lived at the bottom of a treacle well).
Significant locations
Legend
Birth location: Oxford (or nearby), Oxfordshire, England
Death location: Oxford, Oxfordshire, England
Notable location: The great college of Oxford University occupies the site of her monastery; Christ Church Cathedral (Oxford's cathedral) was built over it; her shrine was there before the Reformation; she is co-patron of the cathedral and the university (Christ Church, Oxford, Oxfordshire, England)
Notable location: She hid from the pursuing prince Algar at Binsey, where she lived for a time; there is a holy well at Binsey (Treacle Well — made famous by Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland) still visited by pilgrims; the ancient church of St. Margaret of Antioch at Binsey preserves the site (Binsey, near Oxford, England)
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Parishes
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Shrines
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Known shrines
- Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford — fragments of her shrine; the Watching Loft; principal site of pilgrimage.
- St. Margaret's Church, Binsey, Oxford — the Treacle Well holy well; ancient pilgrimage site; immortalized in Alice in Wonderland.
Feast day
October 19
Veneration
Saint Frideswide is venerated in the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of England with a feast day on October 19. She is patron of Oxford and Oxford University.
Prayers
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Intercessory
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