Walpurga or Walburga (; ; ; 71025 February 777 or 779) was an Anglo-Saxon missionary to the Frankish Empire. She was canonized on 1 May c. 870 by Pope Adrian II. Saint Walpurgis Night (or "Sankt Walpurgisnacht") is the name for the eve of her feast day in the Medieval period, which coincided with May Day; her feast is no longer celebrated on that day (even though the celebration of Valborg, is on the last of April) but the name is still used for May Eve.
Early life
Walpurga was born in Dumnonia, roughly corresponding to modern Devon, during the period it was becoming incorporated into Anglo-Saxon England. She was the daughter of Richard the Pilgrim, a likely Britonnic underking of the West Saxons, and of Wuna of Wessex, and had two brothers, Willibald and Winibald.
Religious career
thumb|Statue of Walburgis at Walburgis Kapelle at [[Kirchehrenbach, Germany]]
In 721, Richard set out on a pilgrimage to Rome with his two sons. Before leaving he entrusted Walburga, then 11 years old, to the abbess of the double monastery at Wimborne Abbey in Dorset.
After recovering, Winibald, who was not of a particularly strong constitution, remained in Rome to pursue further studies, while Willibald set out for the Holy Land. After about seven years of travelling, Willibald returned to Italy and became a monk at Monte Cassino. In 730, Winibald returned to England and engaged a third brother and several amongst his kindred and acquaintances to accompany him on his journey back to Rome to begin a monastic life there.
During this time Walpurga remained at Wimborne where she was educated, and eventually became a nun. The nuns of Wimborne were skilled at copying and ornamenting manuscripts; and celebrated for Opus Anglicanum, a fine needlework utilising gold and silver threads on rich velvet or linen, often decorated with jewels and pearls. Such English embroidery was in great demand across Europe. She spent 26 years as a member of the community. Willibald, upon arriving at Eichstätt, was ordained by Boniface on 22 July 741 and began missionary work in the area.
Walpurga then travelled with her brothers, Willibald and Winibald, to Francia (now Württemberg and Franconia) to assist Boniface in evangelizing the still-pagan Germans. Some sources claimed that she wrote her brother Willibald's vita and an account in Latin of his travels in Palestine,
Walpurga became a nun in the double monastery of Heidenheim am Hahnenkamm, which was founded by Willibald. He appointed her as his successor and following his death in 751, Walpurga became the abbess of the monastery.
Death
Walpurga died on 25 February 777 or 779 (the records are unclear) and was buried at Heidenheim; the day carries her name in the Catholic church calendar. In 870, Walpurga's remains were translated to Eichstätt. In Finland, Sweden, and Bavaria, her feast day commemorates the transfer of her relics on 1 May.
Veneration
thumb|left|The [[St. Walburga Church (Bruges)|St. Walburga Church in Bruges was originally a Jesuit church]]
Walpurga's feast day is 25 February, but the day of her canonization, 1 May (possibly 870), was also celebrated during the high medieval period, especially in the 11th century under Anno II, Archbishop of Cologne, so that Walpurgis Night is the eve of May Day, celebrated in continental folklore with dancing.
At Eichstätt, her bones were placed in a rocky niche, which allegedly began to exude a miraculously therapeutic oil, which drew pilgrims to her shrine. The bituminous oil, called Walpurgis oil, was said to exude from her bones (especially from October through February) and was regarded as being efficacious against disease. In addition, the 19th-century Cardinal Newman declared the exuded oil to be a credible miracle.
Patronage
Walpurga is the patroness of Eichstätt and Weilburg, Germany; Oudenarde, Veurne, Antwerp, Belgium; Tiel (demolished), Groningen (demolished), Arnhem, Amby and Zutphen the Netherlands; and she is invoked as special patroness against hydrophobia (rabies), in storms, and also by sailors.
Legacy
St. Walburga's Abbey is located at Eichstätt, Bavaria. A second Benedictine Abbey of St. Walburga is located in Virginia Dale, Colorado, near the Wyoming border. The abbey in Colorado is home to approximately 20 contemplative Catholic nuns and also has a retreat center. St. Walburg Monastery in Covington, Kentucky, is a community of Benedictine sisters who arrived in Northern Kentucky in 1859. Their early teaching efforts later resulted in the establishment and development of Villa Madonna Academy and Thomas More University.
The Church of St. Walburge, a Catholic church in Preston, Lancashire, England, is a church famous for its spire. At , the spire is the tallest of any parish church in England, with only the spires of Salisbury and Norwich Cathedrals reaching higher. Another altar was moved to the in Tilburg where it serves as the main altar.
In 1936, the city master builder (architect) constructed a new modernistic church building with the same name on the Volkstraat near . This building was declared a monument in 1995 and was restored in 2007.
See also
- Germanic Christianity
- Walpurgis