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Saint

Dymphna
Saint; Dymphna
	The beheading of Saint Dymphna by Godfried Maes
Virgin and martyr
Born	7th century; Ireland
Died	30 May, 7th century; Geel, Belgium
Venerated in	Catholic Church; Eastern Orthodox Church;
Canonized	620
Feast	30 May; (formerly 15 May);
Attributes	lamp
Patronage	Mental health professionals, those suffering from mental illnesses

Dymphna^[6] is a Christian saint honoured in Catholic and Eastern Orthodox traditions.^[7]^[8] According to tradition, she lived in the 7th century and was martyred by her father.

The story of Dymphna was first recorded in the 13th century by a canon of the Church of Aubert of Avranches at Cambrai, France. It was commissioned by Guiard of Laon, the Bishop of Cambrai (1238–1248).

According to oral tradition, the bones of St. Dymphna were discovered and produced a miracle: a dead man was revived after being beaten with her bones. This event was regarded as proof of the miraculous power of her relics.

The author expressly stated that his work was based upon a long-standing oral tradition as well as a persuasive history of miraculous healings of the mentally ill.^[9]

Name

Dymphna's name (pronounced /ˈdɪmfnə/ DIMF-nə or /ˈdɪmpnə/ DIMP-nə) derives from the Irish damh ('poet') and suffix -nait ('little' or 'feminine'), therefore meaning 'poetess'. It is also spelled Dimpna, Dymphnart, Dympna or Damnat; this last spelling is closer to the Irish spelling Damhnait^[10] (pronounced [ˈd̪ˠəunˠətʲ]).

Story of her life and death

According to Catholic and Orthodox tradition, Dymphna was born in Ireland in the 7th century. Dymphna's father Damon was a petty king of Oriel. Her mother was a devout Christian.

When Dymphna was 14 years old, she consecrated herself to Christ and took a vow of chastity. Shortly thereafter, her mother died. Damon had loved his wife deeply, and in the aftermath of her death his mental health sharply deteriorated. Eventually the king's counsellors pressed him to remarry. Damon agreed, but only on the condition that his bride would be as beautiful as his deceased wife. After searching fruitlessly, Damon began to desire his daughter because of her strong resemblance to her mother.

When Dymphna learned of her father's intentions, she swore to uphold her vows and fled his court along with her confessor Father Gerebernus, two trusted servants, and the king's fool. Together they sailed towards the continent, eventually landing in what is present-day Belgium, where they took refuge in the town of Gheel (now spelled 'Geel').^[9]

One tradition states that once settled in Geel, Dymphna built a hospice for the poor and sick of the region. However, it was through the use of her wealth that her father would eventually ascertain her whereabouts, as some of the coins used enabled her father to trace them to Belgium.^[9] Damon sent his agents to pursue his daughter and her companions. When their hiding place was discovered, Damon travelled to Geel to recover his daughter. Damon ordered his soldiers to kill Gerebernus and tried to force Dymphna to return with him to Ireland, but she resisted. Furious, Damon drew his sword and struck off his daughter's head. She was said to have been 15 years old when she died.^[11] After Dymphna and Gerebernus were killed, the residents of Geel buried them in a nearby cave. Years later, they decided to move the remains to a more suitable location.

In 1349 a church honouring Dymphna was built in Geel. By 1480, so many pilgrims were coming from all over Europe, seeking treatment for psychiatric disorders that the church housing for them was expanded. Soon the sanctuary for those considered "mad" was again full to overflowing, and the townspeople began taking them into their own homes. Thus began a tradition for the ongoing care of those with psychiatric conditions that has endured for over 500 years and is still studied and admired today. Patients were, and still are, taken into the homes of Geel's inhabitants. Never called patients, they are called boarders, and are treated as ordinary and useful members of the town.^[12] They are treated as members of the host family. They work, most often in menial labour, and in return, they become part of the community.^[13] Some stay a few months, some decades, some for their entire lives. At its peak in the 1930s, over 4,000 'boarders' were housed with the town's inhabitants.^[14]^[15]

Veneration

The remains of Dymphna were later put into a silver reliquary and placed in a church in Geel named in her honour. The remains of Gerebernus were moved to Xanten, Germany.^[16] During the late 15th century the original St. Dymphna Church in Geel burned down. A second "Church of St. Dymphna" was then built and consecrated in 1532. The church still stands on the site where her body is believed to have first been buried.^[17]

Dymphna was beheaded on 30 May,^[2] although the year of her death is uncertain. A transfer of her relics occurred on 15 May of a subsequent year,^[3] the anniversary of which became her primary feast day^[1] until the 21st century, when the post-conciliar Roman Martyrology (the authoritative compendium of feast days for the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church) assigned Dymphna's feast to the anniversary of her martyrdom, on 30 May, as listed in the 2004 edition.^[4]

Dymphna is known as the Lily of Éire, due to her spotless virtue. She is traditionally portrayed wearing a crown, dressed in ermine and royal robes, and holding a sword. In modern versions she holds the sword awkwardly, as it symbolises her martyrdom, but in the older versions seen on numerous statues and stained glass images, her sword is pricking the neck of a demon; symbolising her title of Demon Slayer. She is also often portrayed holding a lamp, with the chained devil at her feet.

Some modern holy cards portray Dymphna in green and white, holding a book and white lilies.

During the 2022 season, the St Dymphna's Church, in Geel, Belgium, commemorated her by hosting an exposition showing the restored altarpiece venerating Dymphna by Goossen Van der Weyden.^[18]^[19]

Patronage

Dymphna is the patron saint of mental illness.^[5]

The US National Shrine of St. Dymphna is located inside St. Mary's Catholic Church in Massillon, Ohio.^[6] The shrine was destroyed by a fire in 2015, but reopened in December 2016 and is still open to pilgrims and visitors. St. Dymphna's Special School is located in Ballina, County Mayo, Republic of Ireland and operates under the patronage of Western Care Association.^[20]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Surius, Laurentius (1579). De Probatis Sanctorum Historiis, ... Tomus Tertius, Complectens Sanctos Mensium Maii et Iunii [An Explication of Saints' Histories. Volume III: Saints of May–June] (in Latin). Cologne: Gerwin Calenius & the Quentel heirs. p. 347. Praedicta autem corporis venerandae virginis translatio facta est decimaquinta die Maij, quo eius festum celebratur. Decollata verò fuit eiusdem mensis die tricesimo. [Now the aforementioned transfer of the virgin's venerated body was carried out on the 15th day of May, on which her feast is celebrated. Her beheading had actually occurred within May as well, on the 30th day.]
^ ^a ^b ^c O'Hanlon, John (1875). Lives of the Irish Saints. Vol. 5. Dublin: James Duffy and Sons. p. 362. [T]he feast of the Decollation [i.e. Beheading] of St. Dympna, with a solemn office, occurs on the 30th of May. [...] In the Utrecht [manuscripts], [...] it is stated, that her decollation took place, on the [...] 30th of May. The same statement is found, in the printed Legend of her Life, and in Surius.
^ ^a ^b Gammack, Rev. James (1877). "Dimpna (Dympna)". In Smith, William; Wace, Henry (eds.). A Dictionary of Christian Biography, Literature, Sects and Doctrines. Volume I: A–D. p. 832. May 30 is the day of her death, and May 15 that of her translation.
^ ^a ^b Martyrologium Romanum (in Latin) (2nd ed.). Vatican City: Libreria Editrice Vaticana. 2004. p. 311. Die 30 maii [...] Ghelæ in Brabántia Austrásiæ, sanctæ Dýmpnæ, vírginis et mártyris. [On the 30th day of May [...] at Geel in Brabant, Austrasia: (the heavenly birth) of Saint Dymphna, virgin and martyr.]
^ ^a ^b "Todays Catholic St. Dymphna". 25 April 2017.
^ ^a ^b "National Shrine of St. Dymphna".
^ "St. Dymphna". Retrieved 13 September 2017.
^ "SAINT DYMPHNA WONDERWORKER OF GHEEL". Saints Mary & Martha Orthodox Monastery. Retrieved 13 September 2017.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Saint Dymphna: Wonderworker of Gheel, May 15th". Wagener, South Carolina: Saints Mary and Martha Orthodox Monastery. January 2006. Retrieved 31 December 2013.
^ Woulfe, Patrick. "DAMHNAIT". Irish Names and Surnames. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
^ "Benedictine Convent Sisters, Clyde, Missouri, "Tabernacle and Purgatory" May 1946". Archived from the original on 12 November 2012.
^ Jay, Mike (9 January 2014). "The Geel question". Aeon. Archived from the original on 19 October 2015. Retrieved 11 April 2015.
^ Wells, Karin (9 March 2014). "Psychiatric community care: Belgian town sets gold standard". CBC News. Retrieved 10 April 2015.
^ Goldstein, J. "Geel, Belgium: A Model of 'Community Recovery'". Birmingham, AL: Psychology Department, Samford University.
^ Dr.Srole, Hobart/William Smith College, Geneva N.Y.
^ Kirsch, Johann Peter. "St. Dymphna." The Catholic Encyclopedia Vol. 5. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1909. 1 December 2015]
^ ""St. Dymphna", Franciscan Mission Associates". Archived from the original on 1 March 2015. Retrieved 14 May 2013.
^ "Crazy about Dymphna", The Phoebus Foundation
^ "Dymphna is finally coming home!". The Phoebus Foundation.
^ St. Dymphna's Special School, Ballina