Saint Hilda of Whitby
Saint Hilda of Whitby (born 614 AD in Northumbria, England; died November 17, 680 AD in Whitby, North Yorkshire, England) was an Anglo-Saxon abbess who governed the double monastery of Whitby (Streoneshalh) and hosted the Synod of Whitby in 664 AD — the pivotal church council that decided England would follow Roman rather than Celtic Easter dating, aligning English Christianity with Rome. She was a great educator and administrator who trained five future bishops. The Venerable Bede praised her as a mother to all who knew her. Her feast day is November 17.
Stored in Cargo: Saint Hilda of Whitby
| Saint Hilda of Whitby | |
|---|---|
| Feast Day | November 17 |
| Profession | Abbess; educator; ecclesiastical administrator; host of the Synod of Whitby |
| Rel. Affiliation | Catholic Church; Anglo-Saxon Church; Celtic-trained but submitted to Roman usage after Synod of Whitby |
| Patronage | Whitby; North Yorkshire; Northumbria; abbesses; educators; learning and scholarship; England (partial); those who discover their gifts late in life (she did not enter religious life until age 33) |
| Attributes | Abbess's staff and veil; fossils of ammonites (local legend: the ammonite fossils in Whitby's cliffs are snake-stones she turned to stone, so she is sometimes shown with coiled snakes); book (education, five bishops trained) |
| Birthplace | Northumbria, England (exact location uncertain; possibly Elmet or Deira) |
| Death Place | Whitby, North Yorkshire, England |
| Cause of Death | Natural causes; died after seven years of illness, peacefully at Whitby Abbey, November 17, 680 AD |
| Primary Shrine | Whitby Abbey ruins, Whitby, North Yorkshire, England — the ruins of the later medieval abbey on the cliff; one of the most iconic religious sites in England; her memory is central to Whitby's identity; the cliff-top ruins are a UNESCO-recognized heritage site |
| Liturgical Class | Not in universal Roman Calendar; feast November 17; observed in England and the Diocese of Middlesbrough |
| Historic Class | Not in universal 1962 calendar; observed in England |
Biography
Hilda was born in 614, a great-niece of King Edwin of Northumbria. She was baptized in 627 — along with Edwin — by Saint Paulinus of York. She lived as a laywoman until age 33, when she decided to enter religious life, initially planning to join her sister at Chelles in France. Saint Aidan of Lindisfarne directed her instead to remain in Northumbria, and she founded or governed several monasteries, eventually being called to found the great double monastery at Whitby (Streoneshalh) around 657 AD.
Whitby became the most important center of learning and ecclesiastical formation in Northumbria. She trained five bishops (listed above) and governed a large community of men and women with such wisdom and holiness that Bede called her mater (mother) to all who knew her — not just the community, but the entire region.
The most consequential event of her abbacy was hosting the **Synod of Whitby** in 664 AD. The English Church was divided between the Celtic Easter dating (the tradition she had been trained in, derived from the Irish Church and Columba's community on Iona) and the Roman Easter dating (which most of Western Christendom used). King Oswiu presided; the chief advocates were Saint Wilfrid of York (for Rome) and Saint Colman of Lindisfarne (for the Celtic tradition). Hilda supported the Celtic position. When Oswiu ruled in favor of Rome, she submitted completely to the decision — a model of obedience that shaped the subsequent unity of English Christianity.
She also discovered and encouraged the poet Caedmon, the first vernacular Christian poet in English, whose Caedmon's Hymn is the oldest surviving Old English poem.
She died after seven years of illness on November 17, 680 AD. At the moment of her death, a nun 13 miles away saw her soul ascending to heaven.
Significant locations
Legend
Birth location: Northumbria, England (exact location uncertain; possibly Elmet or Deira)
Death location: Whitby, North Yorkshire, England
Notable location:
Notable location: She governed this double monastery from c. 649 before being called to found Whitby; Hartlepool was her first abbacy (Hartlepool (Heruteu), County Durham, England)
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Shrines
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Known shrines
- Whitby Abbey ruins, Whitby, North Yorkshire, England — her abbey site; one of the most evocative ecclesiastical ruins in England; major heritage and pilgrimage destination.
Feast day
November 17
Veneration
Saint Hilda of Whitby is venerated in the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of England on November 17. She is one of the greatest Anglo-Saxon saints.
Prayers
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