View S of the outer bath & lower part of St Winifred's Chapel, Holywell, Flintshire, Wales, UK, where spring water enters the inner star-shaped well.
View S of the outer bath & lower part of St Winifred's Chapel, Holywell, Flintshire, Wales, UK, where spring water enters the inner star-shaped well before flowing out to the bathing pool. Tradition dates first appearance of spring to 660AD when princess Gwenfrewi (Winifred) was beheaded by spurned suitor Caradoc. Water sprang from the ground where her head landed: St Beuno replaced the head & brought Gwenfrewi back to life. The present two-storey chapel was built c. 1500 for Lady Magaret Beaufort, mother of Henry VII & wife of Thomas Stanley, Earl of Derby. Celtic in origin, the holy well has been a popular place of pigrimage & healing since at least 1115. The submerged stone beside the steps is known as St Beuno's Stone, reputedly where he sat to instruct Winifred. It is customary for pilgrims to go through the inner well three times, then complete their prayers while kneeling on the stone. In 1917 mining operations severed the original stream & another source was diverted to the bathing pool & well: cures continue to this day.
Size: 3710px × 4961px
Location: St Winifred's Well, Holywell, Flintshire, Wales, UK
Photo credit: © Mick Sharp / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: bath, bathing, beheaded, beuno, beunos, britain, cadw, catholic, celtic, chapel, christian, christianity, clwyd, cures, delyn, flintshire, gwenfrewi, healing, historic, holy, holywell, legend, martyr, medieval, miraculous, monument, north, outer, pilgrimage, place, pool, princess, route, sacred, saints, site, spring, st, stone, treffynnon, tudor, uk, wales, water, welsh, winefride, winefrides, winifred, winifreds
