06/24/2024
As a part of my relaunch of the business, I have been striving to dive more deeply into the stories of the saints I depict. I have been remaking and updating the looks of saints to more accurately align with their stories, and it has been really beautiful to begin to understand why they received their patronage or just more of who they were.✨
Today’s revamp was St. Dymphna, so I thought I would share a little bit of her story…
St. Dymphna was born in Ireland to a noble, pagan father and devout Christian mother in the 7th century. Her mother died when she was young, causing her father to enter a tough mental state. It got to the point where his mental state had the King’s counselor telling him that he should remarry. He agreed, as long as the woman he was to marry was as beautiful as his wife had been. He sent men into town to find someone who resembled her, but they found none. Her father’s advisor, who is not a good moral man, told him that if he wanted someone that resembled his wife, he should marry his own daughter, Dymphna. Because of the place he was in mentally, he agreed.
Luckily, Dymphna was able to escape with her confessor and a few of her father’s servants. They sailed to Belgium, but due to his wealth, her father was able to find her. He ordered that her confessor be beheaded as he tried to convince her to return to Ireland. When she denied him, he drew his own sword, and beheaded her before leaving her there. She was 15 years old.
The sword she is pictured with represents the means of her own death, and the lilies, a symbol of her virginity and purity. She is also depicted with the crown of martyrdom.
She is seen as the patroness of mental illness and victims of in**st.
St. Dymphna, pray for us.🤍🤍