Dymphna was a seventh century Irish virgin martyr. She was 15 in about when she lost her life spurning the incestuous advances of her father who insisted on marrying her to replace her deceased mother. When she learned of his plan, she fled from Ireland to Gheel, Belgium, but he found her there and beheaded her when she would not cooperate with him. There have been many reports of St.
Dymphna miraculously curing the mental, emotional, and neurological afflictions of pilgrims to her burial site in Gheel. Based on these miracles and the story of her martyrdom, she was canonized in and named patron saint of the mentally ill. Her patronage also extends to incest and rape victims and runaways. Dymphna is most often shown with a sword or lamp in her hand and a restrained devil at her feet.
Her feast day is May St Dymphna Medal β Sterling Silver with 18 in. Chain β Engravable. St Dymphna Rosary. St Dymphna Medal β Sterling Silver with 20 in. St Dymphna Rosary β Pink Beads. St Dymphna Rosary β Peridot Beads. Dymphna, a beautiful, young Irish princess from the 7th century, is most commonly known as the patron saint of those with nervous and emotional disorders.
Dymphna was born in the 7th century to a pagan king, Damon, and his Christian wife. It is said that St. They suggested he remarry, and he decided this was a great idea β but only if the woman was as beautiful as his first wife had been. Damon and his court searched far and wide for a woman whose beauty would equal that of St. The more he searched and came up empty the worse his grief became. Consequently, his mental health began to suffer, and he started entertaining the possibility of marrying his daughter, St.
She had made a vow of virginity, pledging herself wholly to God, at age She told her father she could not agree to his desire to marry her. When he became enraged at her rejection, St. Dymphna fled with her spiritual director, Fr. Since St. Dymphna had not told anyone where she was going to, the king sent his court out to search for her. At this time in history, foreign currency was not widely recognized, since long-distance travel was difficult and costly which meant many people were unable to travel very far.
