A Lady that I didn’t know anything about

OurLady of Walsingham

The Vision: In 1061, an Anglo-Saxon noblewoman, Lady Richeldis de Faverches, had a vision in which the Virgin Mary led her in spirit to Nazareth and asked her to build a replica of the Holy House (where the Annunciation took place).

Medieval Importance: The “Holy House” became known as “England’s Nazareth” and grew into a major medieval pilgrimage destination, rivalling Canterbury and visited by numerous English monarchs.

Destruction: King Henry VIII ordered the original medieval priory and shrine destroyed in 1538 during the English Reformation.

Catholic Shrine: Pilgrimages resumed in the late 19th and 20th centuries. The 14th-century Slipper Chapel was restored and designated the Roman Catholic National Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham, later elevated to a Minor Basilica by Pope Francis in 2015

Anglican Shrine: The Anglican Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham was established in the 1930s in the village of Little Walsingham and features a new replica of the Holy House and a statue.

Feast Days: Celebrated on September 24 (Catholic/Anglican) and October 15 (Anglican translation).

Global Presence: The devotion extends worldwide, including institutions like the Cathedral of Our Lady of Walsingham in Houston, Texas, and the Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham.