Editing Bridget of Sweden

{{Short description|Swedish nun, mystic, and saint (c.1303–1373)}}
{{For|Swedish royalty|Bridget of Sweden (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2021}}
{{Infobox saint
|honorific_prefix = [[Saint]]
|name=Bridget of Sweden
|honorific_suffix = [[Bridgettines|OSsS]]
|birth_date={{Circa|1303}}
|death_date=23 July {{death year and age|1373|1303}}
|feast_day=23 July<br />8 October ([[General Roman Calendar of 1960]])<br />7 October ([[Sweden]])
|venerated_in=[[Catholic Church]]<br />[[Anglican Communion]]<br />[[Lutheranism]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.resurrectionpeople.org/saints.html |title=Notable Lutheran Saints |website=Resurrectionpeople.org |access-date=16 July 2019 |archive-date=16 May 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190516024927/http://www.resurrectionpeople.org/saints.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>
|image=Heliga Birgitta på ett altarskåp i Salems kyrka retouched.png
|imagesize=200px
|caption=Altarpiece in Salem church, Södermanland, Sweden (digitally restored)
|birth_place=[[Uppland]], [[Sweden]]
|death_place=[[Rome]], [[Papal States]]
|titles= Widow
|beatified_date=
|beatified_place=
|beatified_by=
|canonized_date=7 October 1391
|canonized_place=
|canonized_by=[[Pope Boniface IX]]
|attributes=[[Pilgrim's hat]], [[Pilgrim's staff|staff]] and bag; crown, writing-book, heart with a cross, book and quill
|patronage=[[Europe]],<ref>{{cite web |title=St. Bridget of Sweden |url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-Bridget-of-Sweden |website=Encyclopedia Britannica |access-date=29 June 2024}}</ref> [[Sweden]], [[widow]]s, for a holy death
|major_shrine=[[Vadstena Abbey]]
|suppressed_date=
|issues=
}}

'''Bridget of Sweden''', [[Bridgettines|OSsS]] ({{Circa|1303}} – 23 July 1373), also known as '''Birgitta Birgersdotter''' and '''Birgitta of Vadstena''' ({{langx|sv|heliga Birgitta}}), was a Swedish Catholic [[Mysticism|mystic]] and the founder of the [[Bridgettines]]. Outside Sweden, she was also known as the Princess of [[Närke|Nericia]] and was the mother of [[Catherine of Vadstena]].<ref>Eivor Martinus, ''Furstinnan från/av Närke'' in ''Barndrottningen Filippa'', {{ISBN|978-91-7331-663-7}} pp. 115, 164 & 167</ref>

Bridget is one of the six [[patron saint]]s of Europe, together with [[Benedict of Nursia]], [[Cyril and Methodius]], [[Catherine of Siena]] and [[Teresa Benedicta of the Cross]].

== Biography ==
[[File:Birger Peterssons grafsten i Uppsala, Nordisk familjebok.png|thumb|Drawing of the tomb of Bridget's parents in [[Uppsala Cathedral]]]]
[[File:St Brigitta 1476.jpeg|thumb|left|Saint Bridget in the [[religious habit]] of a Bridgettine nun, in a 1476 [[breviary]] of the form of the [[Liturgy of the Hours]] unique to Order of the Most Holy Savior]]

The most celebrated saint of Sweden, Bridget was the daughter of the knight [[Birger Persson]]<ref name=kirsch/> of the [[finstaatten|family]] of [[Finsta]], governor and [[lawspeaker]] of [[Uppland]], and one of the richest [[Land tenure|landowners]] of the country, and his wife Ingeborg Bengtsdotter, a member of the so-called Lawspeaker branch of the [[Folkunga]] family. Through her mother, Bridget was related to the Swedish kings of her era.

She was born in 1303. The exact date of her birth is not recorded. In 1316, at the age of 13<ref name=kirsch/> she married Ulf Gudmarsson of the family of [[Ulvåsa]], a noble and lawspeaker of [[Östergötland]], to whom she bore eight children, four daughters and four sons. Six of her children survived infancy, which was rare at that time. Her eldest daughter was [[Märta Ulfsdotter]]. Her second daughter is now honored as [[Catherine of Vadstena|St. Catherine of Sweden]]. Her youngest daughter was [[Cecilia Ulvsdotter]]. Bridget became known for her works of [[charity (practice)|charity]], particularly toward Östergötland's unwed mothers and their children. When she was in her early thirties, she was summoned to be principal lady-in-waiting to the new Queen of Sweden, [[Blanche of Namur]]. In 1341, she and her husband went on [[pilgrimage]] to [[Santiago de Compostela]].

In 1344, shortly after their return, Ulf died at the [[Cistercians|Cistercian]] [[Alvastra Abbey]] in [[Östergötland]]. After this loss, Bridget became a member of the [[Third Order of Saint Francis]] and devoted herself to a life of prayer and caring for the poor and the sick.<ref name=SHMI>{{cite book|author=Fr. Paolo O. Pirlo, SHMI|title=My First Book of Saints|year=1997|publisher=Sons of Holy Mary Immaculate – Quality Catholic Publications|isbn=971-91595-4-5|pages=158–159|chapter=St. Bridget}}</ref>

It was at this time that she developed the idea of establishing the religious community which was to become the [[religious order]] of the Most Holy Saviour, or the [[Bridgettines]], whose principal house at [[Vadstena Abbey|Vadstena]] was later richly endowed by King [[Magnus IV of Sweden]] and his queen. One distinctive feature of the houses of the Order was that they were [[double monastery|double monasteries]], with men and women both forming a joint community, but they lived in separate cloisters. They were required to live in poor convents and they were also required to give all of their surplus income to the poor. However, they were allowed to have as many books as they pleased.<ref name=SHMI />

In 1350, a [[Jubilee in the Catholic Church|Jubilee Year]], Bridget braved a plague-stricken Europe to make a pilgrimage to Rome accompanied by her daughter, Catherine, and a small party of [[Catholic priest|priests]] and disciples. This was partly done to obtain authorization to found the new order from the Pope and it was also partly done in pursuance of her self-imposed mission to elevate the moral tone of the age. This was during the period of the [[Avignon Papacy]] within the [[Roman Catholic Church]], however, so she had to wait for the return of the papacy from the French city of Avignon to Rome, a move for which she agitated for many years.

It was not until 1370 that [[Pope Urban V]], during his brief attempt to re-establish the papacy in Rome, confirmed the [[monastic rule|Rule]] of the order, but meanwhile Bridget had made herself universally beloved in Rome by her kindness and good works. Save for occasional pilgrimages, including one to [[Jerusalem]] in 1373, she remained in Rome until her death on 23 July 1373, urging ecclesiastical reform.<ref name=SHMI />

In her pilgrimages to Rome, Jerusalem and Bethlehem, she sent "back precise instructions for the construction of the monastery" now known as the Blue Church, insisting that an "abbess, signifying the Virgin Mary, should preside over both nuns and monks."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.firstthings.com/article/2014/06/not-so-secular-sweden|title=Not So Secular Sweden by Matthew Milliner|date=June 2014|work=[[First Things]]|publisher=Institute on Religion and Public Life|access-date=18 May 2014|quote=Bridget—or Birgitta as she is known in Sweden—left her homeland and travelled to Rome, Jerusalem, and Bethlehem, sending back precise instructions for the construction of the monastery I am now entering, known as the "Blue Church" after the unique color of the granite which it was constructed with. Bridget insisted that the abbess, signifying the Virgin Mary, should preside over both nuns and monks.}}</ref>

Bridget went to confession every day, and she had a constant smiling, glowing face.<ref name=SHMI /> Although she never returned to Sweden, her years in Rome were far from happy, she was hounded by debts and opposition to her work against Church abuses. She was originally buried at [[San Lorenzo in Panisperna]] before her remains were returned to Sweden. 
===Sainthood===
After Queen [[Margaret I of Denmark|Margaret of Scandinavia]] had worked on both [[Pope Urban VI]] and his successor for it,<ref>[http://libris.kb.se/bib/l2cvjpqlj5l9j5k9 2023 book] by [[:sv:Erik Petersson (författare)|Erik Petersson]] pp. 221-222</ref> Bridget was [[canonized]] in the year 1391 by [[Pope Boniface IX]], which was confirmed by the [[Council of Constance]] in 1415. Because of new discussions about her works, the [[Council of Basel]] confirmed the orthodoxy of her [[revelation]]s in 1436.

== Visions ==
[[File:StBridgetSyonIndenture.jpg|thumb|''The Vision of St Bridget'': The Risen Christ, displaying his wound from [[Saint Longinus|Longinus]], inspires the writing of Saint Bridget. Detail of initial letter miniature, dated 1530, probably made at [[Syon Abbey]], England, a Bridgettine House.]]
At the age of ten, Bridget had a vision of Jesus hanging upon the cross. When she asked who had treated him like this, he answered:<ref name=SHMI />
{{cquote|They who despise me, and spurn my love for them.}}
The [[Passion of Jesus|Passion of Christ]] became the center of her spiritual life from that moment on.<ref name=SHMI /> The [[s:Revelations of St. Bridget|revelations]] which she had received since her childhood now became more frequent, and the records of these ''Revelationes coelestes'' ("Celestial revelations") which were translated into [[Latin]] by Matthias, canon of [[Linköping]], and her confessor, Peter Olafsson, prior of Alvastra, acquired a great vogue during the [[Middle Ages]].<ref name="kirsch">{{cite CE1913|wstitle= St. Bridget of Sweden |volume= 2 |last= Kirsch |first= Johann Peter |author-link=
Johann Peter Kirsch |short=1}}</ref> These revelations made Bridget something of a celebrity to some and a controversial figure to others.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.americancatholic.org/Messenger/Jul2003/Saints.asp#F3 |author=Ball, Judy |title=Woman on a Bod Mission |publisher=Saint Anthony Messenger |website=Americancatholic.org |access-date=17 April 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130203011757/http://www.americancatholic.org/Messenger/Jul2003/Saints.asp#F3 |archive-date=3 February 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

=== Vision of the birth of Christ with kneeling Virgin ===

Her visions of the [[Nativity of Jesus]] would influence later depictions of the [[Nativity of Jesus in art]]. Shortly before her death, she described a vision which included the infant Jesus lying on (not in) clean swaddling clothes on the ground, and emitting light himself, and she described the Virgin as blonde-haired and kneeling in prayer exactly as she was moments before the spontaneous birth, with her womb shrunken and her virginity intact.<ref>[https://archive.org/details/RevelationsOfStBridget/page/n90/mode/1up Vision of Saint Bridget] in Chapter 8, "Revelations of St. Bridget, on the life and passion of Our Lord, and the life of His Blessed Mother", 1862 edition on archive.org</ref> 

Many depictions followed this scene, they included the popular ox and donkey and they reduced other light sources in the scene in order to emphasize the "child of light" effect, and the Nativity was treated with [[chiaroscuro]] through the [[Baroque]]. Other details which are frequently seen, such as Joseph carrying a single candle that he "attached to the wall," and the presence of [[God the Father]] above, also originated in Bridget's vision.

The pose of the Virgin kneeling to pray to her child, to be joined by [[Saint Joseph]], technically known as the "Adoration of the Child", became one of the most common depictions in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, largely replacing the reclining Virgin in the West. A few earlier depictions of the Virgin which show her with an ox and a donkey (scenes which are not described in the gospels) were produced as early as 1300, before Bridget was born, have a [[Franciscan]] origin, by which she may have been influenced, because she was a member of the Franciscan order.<ref>Schiller and Seligman, pp. 76–78.</ref>

<gallery>
File:Duccio di Buoninsegna - The Nativity with the Prophets Isaiah and Ezekiel - Google Art Project.jpg|Pre-Bridget reclining Virgin with ox and donkey, with [[Salome (Gospel of James)|midwife Salomé]] off to the side, {{Circa|1311}}, by [[Duccio di Buoninsegna]]
File:Hans Memling 027.jpg|Post-Bridget kneeling Virgin with Joseph holding a candle as he enters the space with angels, ox, and donkey, circa 1470, by [[Hans Memling]]
</gallery>

Her visions of [[Purgatory]] were also well-known.<ref>Duffy, p. 338.</ref>

===Prophecy===
In addition, "she even predicted an eventual Vatican State, foretelling almost the exact boundaries delineated by [[Benito Mussolini|Mussolini]] for [[Vatican City]] in 1921."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.firstthings.com/article/2014/06/not-so-secular-sweden|title=Not So Secular Sweden |author=Matthew Milliner|date=June 2014|work=[[First Things]]|publisher=Institute on Religion and Public Life|access-date=18 May 2014|quote=Faced with the corruption of the Avignon papacy, she even predicted an eventual Vatican State, foretelling almost the exact boundaries delineated by Mussolini for Vatican City in 1921.}}</ref>

[[Pope Benedict XVI]] spoke of Bridget in a general audience on 27 October 2010, saying that the value of Saint Bridget's Revelations, sometimes the object of doubt, was specified by [[Pope John Paul II]] in the letter ''Spes Aedificandi'': "Yet there is no doubt that the Church," wrote my beloved predecessor, "which recognized Bridget's [[catechesis|holiness]] without ever pronouncing on her individual revelations, has accepted the overall authenticity of her interior experience."<ref>[https://w2.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/audiences/2010/documents/hf_ben-xvi_aud_20101027.html ''Saint Bridget of Sweden'', General Audience, 27 October 2010].</ref>

==Fifteen 'Our Father and Hail Mary prayers'==
[[File:Saint Bridget's Reliquary (cropped).JPG|thumb|Saint Bridget's reliquary, holding a piece of her bone]]
Saint Bridget prayed for a long time to know how many blows Jesus Christ suffered during the Passion. Jesus was said to have responded to these prayers by appearing to her and stating that "I received 5480 blows upon My Body. If you wish to honor them in some way, recite fifteen Our Fathers and fifteen Hail Marys with the following Prayers, which I Myself shall teach you, for an entire year. When the year is finished, you will have honored each of My Wounds."{{cn|date=August 2024}} 

[[s:The Secret of Happiness|The prayers]] became known as the "Fifteen O's" because in the original Latin, each prayer began with the words ''O Jesu'', ''O Rex'', or ''O Domine Jesu Christe''.<ref>O Jesus; O King; O Lord Jesus Christ.</ref> Some have questioned whether Saint Bridget is in fact their author; [[Eamon Duffy]] reports that the prayers probably originated in England, in the devotional circles that surrounded [[Richard Rolle]] or the English Brigittines.<ref>Duffy, p. 249.</ref>

Whatever their origin, the prayers were widely circulated in the late Middle Ages, and they became regular features in [[Book of hours|Books of Hours]] and other devotional literature. They were translated into various languages; an early English language version of them was printed in a primer by [[William Caxton]]. The prayers themselves reflect the late medieval tradition of meditation on the passion of Christ, and are structured around the [[Sayings of Jesus on the cross|seven last words of Christ]]. They borrow from [[Church Fathers|patristic]] and [[Bible|Scriptural]] sources as well as the tradition of devotion to the wounds of Christ.<ref>Duffy, pp. 249–252.</ref>

During the Middle Ages, the prayers were circulated with various promises of [[indulgence]] and other assurances of 21 supernatural graces supposed to attend the daily recitation of the 15 orations at least for a year.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dailycatholic.org/oct8sos.htm|title=Prayers of St. Bridget of Sweden|archive-url=https://archive.today/20110825222233/http://www.dailycatholic.org/oct8sos.htm|archive-date=25 August 2011|url-status=live|access-date=23 July 2013}}</ref> These indulgences were repeated in the manuscript tradition of the [[Book of hours|Books of Hours]], and may constitute one major source of the prayers' popularity in the late Middle Ages. They promise, among other things, the release from [[Purgatory]] of fifteen of the devotee's family members, and that they would keep fifteen living family members in a state of [[divine grace|grace]].<ref name="Duffy, p. 255">Duffy, p. 255.</ref><ref>''The Secret of Happiness: The Fifteen Prayers Revealed By Our Lord to Saint Bridget in the Church of Saint Paul in Rome'' (Pamphlet), Suzanne Foinard, Editions Sainte-Rita (1940). {{OCLC|25228073}}.</ref>

The extravagance of the promises which were made in these rubrics—one widely circulated version promised that the devotee would receive "his heart's desire, if it be for the salvation of his soul"<ref name="Duffy, p. 255" />—attracted critics early and late. In 1538, [[William Marshall (translator)|William Marshall]] enjoined his readers to "henseforth ... forget suche prayers as seynt Brigittes & other lyke, whyche greate promyses and perdons haue falsly auaunced."<ref>Quoted in Summit, Jennifer (2000). ''Lost Property: The Woman Writer and English Literary History, 1380–1589''. University of Chicago. {{ISBN|978-0-226-78013-9}}.</ref>
{{Christian mysticism}}
[[Martin Luther]] strongly rejected the Roman Catholic belief in the 21 promises{{citation needed|date=November 2024}} and nicknamed St Bridget ''Die tolle Brigit'' (The foolish Bridget).<ref>{{cite news | first = Matthew | last = Milliner | url = https://www.firstthings.com/article/2014/06/not-so-secular-sweden | title = Not so secular Sweden | journal = [[First Things]] | date = 1 June 2014 | access-date = 8 October 2020 | archive-url = https://archive.today/20140518064834/https://www.firstthings.com/article/2014/06/not-so-secular-sweden | archive-date = 18 May 2014 | url-status = live }} Quote: Martin Luther may have called her die tolle Brigit, “crazy Birgitta,” but there was her body—enclosed in a red casket, now tastefully tended by Lutherans.</ref><ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.gp.se/kultur/ulla-britta-ramklint-hon-kom-att-kallas-den-heliga-1.98990 |title= Ulla Britta Ramklint: Hon kom att kallas Den heliga |quote= Martin Luther kallade henne 'die Tolle Brigit' |journal= [[Göteborgs-Posten]] |date= 3 June 2015 |author= [[Lisbeth Larsson]] |access-date= 8 October 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.svd.se/helgon-genom-historien |title= Birgitta bland tidernas mest kända helgon |date= 17 December 2015 |orig-date= 26 April 2014 |author= Gunilla von Hall |newspaper= Svenska Dagbladet |archive-url= https://archive.today/20151222173855/https://www.svd.se/helgon-genom-historien |archive-date= 22 December 2015 |url-status= live |access-date= 8 October 2020 }}</ref>
In the following decades, Protestantism sought to eradicate the devotion to similar angelic and spiritual entities claiming they were a 'popish' and 'pagan' legacy.<ref>{{cite book | url = https://academic.oup.com/past/article/208/1/77/1455534?searchresult=1 |chapter = Invisible Helpers: Angelic Intervention in Post-Reformation England |title= Past & Present | volume = 208 | issue = 1 | date = August 2010 | pages = 77–130 | doi = 10.1093/pastj/gtq002 | publisher = [[Oxford University Press]] | issn = 0031-2746 | oclc =  4639922714| last1 = Walsham | first1 = A. }} Citing: Marshall, "Protestants and Fairies in Early-Modern England"; Margo Todd, "Fairies, Egyptians and Elders: Multiple Cosmologies in Post-Reformation Scotland", in Bridget Heal and Ole Peter Grell (eds.), The Impact of the European Reformation: Princes, Clergy and People (Aldershot, 2008).</ref> Lutheranism and Calvinism were characterized by a lower degree of Marian devotion than that pertaining to the Roman Catholic Church, particularly with reference to the Marian title of [[Titles of Mary#Devotional titles|Queen of Angels]].

The Vatican and the Lutheran Church jointly conceived a modern devotion to St Bridget which had remained a relevant factor of disagreement between the two churches till then.<ref name=ricerca.repubblica.it /> 
In 1954, the [[Supreme Sacred Congregation of the Holy Office]] ruled that the alleged promises (though not the prayers themselves) are unreliable, and it directed local [[ordinary (church officer)|ordinaries]] not to permit the circulation of pamphlets which contain the promises.<ref>Marius Crovini (Notary of the Supreme Holy Congregation of the Holy Office), ''WARNING CONCERNING THE "PROMISES OF ST. BRIDGET"'', 28 January 1954, published in [[Acta Apostolicae Sedis]], [https://www.vatican.va/archive/aas/documents/AAS-46-1954-ocr.pdf annus XXXXVI, series II, vol. XXI], p. 64 [access 14 April 2019]. English Translation by [[Eternal Word Television Network]]: [https://www.ewtn.com/library/CURIA/CDFBRID.HTM]</ref><ref name=Puskorius>{{Cite web | url=http://www.dailycatholic.org/oct8sos.htm#caveatemptor | title=Magnificent Prayers, Yes – Magnificent Promises, No |first=Casimir M. | last=Puskorius | work=dailycatholic.org | access-date=23 July 2013}}</ref>

The ecumenical process of reconciliation culminated on 8 October 1991 during the sexcentennial of St Bridget's canonization, when Pope John Paul II and two Lutheran bishops met and prayed in front of the burial place of St Peter Apostle, in Rome. It was the first time in which a joint prayer was said by members of the two communities.<ref name="ricerca.repubblica.it">{{cite news | first = Orazio | last = La Rocca | url = https://ricerca.repubblica.it/repubblica/archivio/repubblica/1991/10/06/cattolici-luterani-fanno-pace.html | title = Cattolici e luterani fanno pace | trans-title = Catholics and Lutherans agree again | date = 8 October 1991 | access-date = 8 October 2020 | language = it | journal = {{Lang|it|[[la Repubblica]]}} | archive-url = https://archive.today/20190219015738/https://ricerca.repubblica.it/repubblica/archivio/repubblica/1991/10/06/cattolici-luterani-fanno-pace.html | archive-date = 19 February 2019 | url-status = live }}</ref>

== Veneration ==
[[File:Heliga Birgitta-den portrattlika.jpg|thumb|right|245px|Statue of Bridget of Sweden in Vadstena Abbey. Work by sculptor [[Johannes Junge]] in 1425.]]
The Brigitta Chapel was erected in 1651 in [[Vienna]], and in 1900 the new district [[Brigittenau]] was founded. In Sweden, adjacent to [[Skederid Church]], built by Bridget's father on the family's land, a memorial stone was erected in 1930.

On 1 October 1999, [[Pope John Paul II]] named Saint Bridget a [[patron saint]] of Europe.<ref>[https://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/motu_proprio/documents/hf_jp-ii_motu-proprio_01101999_co-patronesses-europe_en.html ''Proclamation of the Co-Patronesses of Europe'', Apostolic Letter, 1 October 1999].</ref><ref>[https://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/homilies/1999/documents/hf_jp-ii_hom_13111999_st-bridget_en.html ''Liturgical Feast of St. Bridget'', Homily, 13 November 1999] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130303030037/https://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/homilies/1999/documents/hf_jp-ii_hom_13111999_st-bridget_en.html |date=3 March 2013 }}.</ref> Her [[feast day]] is celebrated on 23 July, the day of her death. Her feast was not in the [[Tridentine calendar]], but was inserted in the [[General Roman Calendar]] in 1623 for celebration on 7 October, the day of her 1391 canonization by [[Pope Boniface IX]]. Five years later, her feast day was moved to 8 October (but the Church in Sweden celebrates it on the 7th), a date which was not changed until the revision of the General Roman Calendar in 1969, when it was set on 8 October, the date which it is currently celebrated on.<ref>''Calendarium Romanum'' (Libreria Editrice Vaticana 1969), p. 98.</ref> Some continue to use the earlier [[General Roman Calendar of 1954]], the [[General Roman Calendar of Pope Pius XII]], or the [[General Roman Calendar of 1960]].

The [[Third Order of Saint Francis]] includes her feast day on its [[Calendar of saints]] on the same day as the general Church, honoring her as a member of the order.

The [[Bjärka-Säby Monastery]] contains a portrait of Bridget of Sweden which is venerated by Christians who are members of several [[Christian denomination|denominations]]. An hour away from this monastery, the [[Vadstena Abbey]], also known as the Blue Church, contains relics of the saint, and her body is venerated by Lutheran and Catholic believers.<ref name=Milliner1>{{cite web|url=http://www.firstthings.com/article/2014/06/not-so-secular-sweden|title=Not So Secular Sweden by Matthew Milliner|date=June 2014|work=[[First Things]]|publisher=Institute on Religion and Public Life|access-date=18 May 2014|quote=But the Lutheran pastor who met us there was not the steward of an empty shell, but instead oversaw a living devotional site frequented by [[Protestantism|Protestants]] and Catholics alike. (It does not hurt that Birgitta's forceful critique of the papacy led some to see her as [[proto-Protestantism|proto-Protestant]].) After placing our fingers in the holes, my companions and I entered the complex, and were met with a beautiful cross celebrating Birgitta and her daughter Catherine, painted by a Pentecostal icon painter. Most remarkable was the vaulting of this massive Gothic complex. Brigittine nuns wear the "Crown of the Five Holy Wounds" with five red symbolic stones. In the same way, the five bosses connecting the Gothic ribbing are here painted red, causing pilgrims to momentarily become Brigittines themselves, their heads enclosed with the five wounds as they step under every vaulted bay. Although there was some destruction and damage to statues from invading Danish soldiers, most here have survived. We make our way to the still-preserved relics of Birgitta, but are interrupted by a bell. Thirty pilgrims stop to gather in the rear of the church for a Taizé prayer service before a gorgeous Byzantine icon of Christ made by that same Pentecostal painter.}}</ref><ref name=Milliner2>{{cite web|url=http://www.firstthings.com/article/2014/06/not-so-secular-sweden|title=Not So Secular Sweden by Matthew Milliner|date=June 2014|work=[[First Things]]|publisher=Institute on Religion and Public Life|access-date=18 May 2014|quote=Martin Luther may have called her die tolle Brigit, "crazy Birgitta," but there was her body—enclosed in a red casket, now tastefully tended by Lutherans.}}</ref>

Bridget is [[Calendar of saints (Church of England)|remembered]] by the [[Church of England]], which holds a [[Commemoration (Anglicanism)|commemoration]] on 23 July<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Calendar|url=https://www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/worship-texts-and-resources/common-worship/churchs-year/calendar|access-date=27 March 2021|website=The Church of England|language=en}}</ref> and on the [[Calendar of saints (Episcopal Church)|Episcopal Church liturgical calendar]] on 7 October.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bEq7DwAAQBAJ |title=Lesser Feasts and Fasts 2018 |date=2019-12-17 |publisher=Church Publishing, Inc. |isbn=978-1-64065-235-4 |language=en}}</ref>

== Evaluations and interpretations ==
{{The Sacred Heart}}

Although he was initially interested in Bridget's ''Revelations'', [[Martin Luther]] would later conclude that her visions were mere ravings.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=NPSnDgAAQBAJ&dq=Bridget+of+Sweden+%2B+Martin+Luther&pg=PA278 Rex, Richard. ''The Making of Martin Luther'', Princeton University Press, 2017], {{ISBN|978-1400888542}}, p. 45</ref> Some 19th-century writers presented her as a forerunner of the [[Protestant Reformation]] due to her criticism of popes, bishops and other members of the clergy who did not live in accordance with the teachings of their religion.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.firstthings.com/article/2014/06/not-so-secular-sweden|title=Not So Secular Sweden by Matthew Milliner|date=June 2014|work=[[First Things]]|publisher=Institute on Religion and Public Life|access-date=18 May 2014|quote=Like England, Sweden went Protestant during the Reformation. But the Lutheran pastor who met us there was not the steward of an empty shell, but instead oversaw a living devotional site frequented by Protestants and Catholics alike. (It does not hurt that Birgitta's forceful critique of the papacy led some to see her as proto-Protestant.)}}</ref> However, she never criticized that teaching or the church as such.

Of her as depicted in his play ''Folkungasagan'' [[August Strindberg]] explained Bridget as "a power-hungry, vainglorious woman who intentionally vied for sainthood", adding "of this unpleasant woman and according to the historical documents I made the uncontrollable ninny now in my drama, although in her honor I let her awaken to clarity about her silliness and her arrogance."<ref name=":2">[http://www.fof.se/tidning/2003/3/heliga-birgittas-comeback Heliga Birgittas comeback – Forskning&Framsteg]</ref>

''[[Centuries of Selfies]]'' (2020) describes how Bridget damaged [[Magnus IV of Sweden|King Magnus]] and [[Blanche of Namur|Queen Blanche]] by accusing them of "erotic deviations, extravagance and murderous plots",<ref>{{cite book | last=Demitz | first=Jacob Truedson | title=Centuries of Selfies: Portraits commissioned by Swedish kings and queens| publisher=Vulkan Förlag | publication-place=Stockholm; New York | date=2020 | isbn=978-91-89179-63-9 | others=Preface by [[Ulf Sundberg]]|title-link=Centuries of Selfies|pages=27}}</ref> a description particularly noted by ''[[Dala-Demokraten]]'' as likely to upset Swedish nuns.<ref>{{ cite news | last = Kyhle | first = Lars | date = 29 May 1997 | title = Blood-Swain och Olaf Scotking, Svenska kungar från Ludvikas och USA:s horisont | publisher = Dala-Demokraten | pages = 3 }}</ref> With the eventual translation of her Latin works into Swedish, increased understanding and appreciation of her evolved in some Swedish circles,<ref>[http://www.fof.se/tidning/2003/3/heliga-birgittas-comeback Heliga Birgittas comeback – Forskning&Framsteg (The Comeback of Saint Bridget – Research and Progress)],</ref> but more historians have shown how Bridget used personally and politically motivated mud-slinging against people she didn't like.<ref>[http://libris.kb.se/bib/l2cvjpqlj5l9j5k9 2023 book] by [[:sv:Erik Petersson (författare)|Erik Petersson]] pp. 43-44</ref>

== See also ==
{{Portal|Saints}}
* [[Pirita convent]]
* [[Societas Sanctae Birgittae]]
* [[Portal:Catholic Church/Patron Archive/July 23|Saint Bridget of Sweden, patron saint archive]]

== References ==
=== Citations ===
{{Reflist}}

=== Sources ===
{{Refbegin}}
* Duffy, Eamon (1992). ''The stripping of the altars: Traditional religion in England, c.1400 – c.1580''. New Haven: Yale University Press. {{ISBN|978-0-300-05342-5}}
* [[Gertrud Schiller|Schiller, Gertrud]] (trans. Seligman, Janet) (1971). ''Iconography of Christian Art, Vol. I: Christ's incarnation, childhood, baptism, temptation, transfiguration, works and miracles,'' (English trans from German). London: Lund Humphries. {{OCLC|59999963}}
{{Refend}}

== Editions ==
Saint Birgitta's ''Revelaciones'', that is, her ''Revelations'' written in Latin, appeared in critical editions during the years 1956 to 2002 under the aegis of the Royal Academy of Letters, History and Antiquities, Stockholm.
* ''Sancta Birgitta. Revelaciones'' Lib. I. Ed. by C.-G. Undhagen. Stockholm 1978.
* ''Sancta Birgitta. Revelaciones'' Lib. II. Ed. by C.-G. Undhagen† and B. Bergh. Stockholm 2001.
* ''Sancta Birgitta. Revelaciones'' Lib. III. Ed. by A.-M. Jönsson. Stockholm 1998.
* ''Sancta Birgitta. Revelaciones'' Lib. IV. Ed. by H. Aili. Stockholm 1992.
* ''Sancta Birgitta. Revelaciones'' Lib. V. Ed. by B. Bergh. Uppsala 1971.
* ''Sancta Birgitta. Revelaciones'' Lib. VI. Ed. by B. Bergh. Stockholm 1991.
* ''Sancta Birgitta. Revelaciones'' Lib. VII. Ed. by B. Bergh. Uppsala 1967.
* ''Sancta Birgitta. Revelaciones'' Lib. VIII. Ed. by H. Aili. Stockholm 2002.
* ''Sancta Birgitta. Revelaciones extravagantes'' Ed. by L. Hollman. Uppsala 1956.
* ''Sancta Birgitta. Opera minora'' Vol. I. Regula Salvatoris Ed. by. S. Eklund. Stockholm 1975.
* ''Sancta Birgitta. Opera minora'' Vol. II. Sermo angelicus Ed. by. S. Eklund. Uppsala 1972.
* ''Sancta Birgitta. Opera minora'' Vol. III. Quattuor oraciones Ed. by. S. Eklund. Stockholm 1991.

English translations are:
* ''The revelations of Saint Birgitta of Sweden'', translated by Denis Searby, with introductions and notes by Bridget Morris, 4 vols. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006–2015) [Volume 1 has Books I–III; Volume II has Books IV–V; Volume III has books VI–VII; Volume IV has book VIII]
* Birgitta of Sweden, ''Life and selected revelations'', edited, with a preface by Marguerite Tjader Harris; translation and notes by Albert Ryle Kezel; introduction by Tore Nyberg, (New York: Paulist Press, 1990) [Includes translations of ''The life of Blessed Birgitta by Prior Peter and Master Peter'', and Books 5 and 7 of ''Revelationes'', and the Four prayers from the ''Revelationes''.]
* ''Saint Bride and her book: Birgitta of Sweden's revelations'', translated from middle English, introduction, by Julia Bolton Holloway, (1992)
* Arne Jönsson, ''St. Bridget's Revelations to the Popes : an edition of the so-called Tractatus de summis pontificibus'', (Lund: Lund University Press, 1997)

== Monographs ==
* Aili, H. & Svanberg, J., ''Imagines Sanctae Birgittae. The Earliest Illuminated Manuscripts and Panel Paintings Related to the Revelations of St. Birgitta of Sweden.'' Stockholm: The Royal Academy of Letters, History and Antiquities. 2003.
* {{cite book |url = http://www.saintsbooks.net/books/St.%20Bridget%20(Birgitta)%20of%20Sweden%20-%20Prophecies%20and%20Revelations.html | title = The Prophecies and Revelations of Saint Bridget (Birgitta) of Sweden and Her Life – With various Prayers |language = en | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100606023523/http://www.catholic-saints.net/saints/st-bridget/st-bridgets-book12.php | archive-date = 6 June 2010| url-status = live}}
* {{cite book | author = James J Walsh | author-link = James Joseph Walsh | url = https://archive.org/details/stbridgetofswede00gronrich/page/n3 | title = St. Bridget of Sweden: a chapter of mediaeval church history | publisher = The Writers Club of Washington | via = [[Internet Archive|archive.org]] | volume = I vol. (No 2) | location = Washington | year = 1907 | page = 64 | archive-url = https://archive.today/20181109222220/https://archive.org/stream/stbridgetofswede00gronrich/stbridgetofswede00gronrich_djvu.txt | archive-date = 9 November 2018 | url-status = live | access-date = 9 November 2018 | df = dmy-all }}

== Further reading ==
* {{SKBL|name=Birgitta Birgersdotter (Heliga Birgitta)}}
* [https://brill.com/view/title/14700 ''A Companion to Birgitta of Sweden and Her Legacy in the Later Middle Ages'']. Ed. by Maria H. Oen. Leiden: Brill, 2019
*{{cite book|title=[[s:Revelations of St. Bridget|Revelations of St. Bridget]], on the life and passion of Our Lord, and the life of His Blessed Mother |year=1862|publisher=D. & J. Sadlier & Co.|first=Bridget of |last=Sweden}}

== External links ==
{{Sisterlinks|b=no|wikt=no|v=no|q=no|c=Category:Birgitta_of_Sweden}}
* Complete online facsimiles of her ''Revelations'' at the Swedish Royal Library: [https://archive.org/details/urn-nbn-se-kb-digark-4551959, MS. A 5a], [https://archive.org/details/urn-nbn-se-kb-digark-4768001 MS. A 5b], [https://archive.org/details/urn-nbn-se-kb-digark-4551966 MS. A 44], [https://archive.org/details/urn-nbn-se-kb-digark-4551965 MS. A 110]
* [http://openn.library.upenn.edu/Data/0023/html/lewis_e_240.html Lewis E 240 Revelations at OPenn]
* [http://birgitta.vadstena.se/ Saint Birgitta] website maintained by [[Vadstena Municipality]]
* Text of ''The Revelations of Saint Bridget of Sweden'' in English: {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20090525233654/http://www.prophecyfilm.com/book1.htm 1]}} or [http://www.dailycatholic.org/bridget.htm 2]
* [http://www.umilta.net/birgitta.html Saint Birgitta of Sweden], with a link to her ''Revelationes'' in [[Latin]]
* [http://www.garbell.com/stbridget/ St Bridget of Sweden Grade School & Parish], Van Nuys, California
* [https://www.stbridgetcheshire.org/ Saint Bridget of Sweden Parish], Cheshire, Connecticut
* [https://bridgettines.com/history-of-the-bridgettines/ The Order of the Most Holy Saviour of Saint Bridget]
* [http://www.syonbreviary.co.uk The Syon Breviary] – ''The Daily Office of Our Lady'' – Now in English, commemorating 600 years of Syon Abbey.
* Two engravings by the Pseudo-Dürer for ''The Revelations'' from the De Verda collection: [https://archive.today/20130215183115/http://www.colecciondeverda.com/search/label/Estampas%20de%20Santidades/2012/11/vision-del-maestro-magnus-subiendo-al.html 1] and [https://archive.today/20130215181302/http://www.colecciondeverda.com/search/label/Estampas%20de%20Santidades/2012/11/santa-brigida-divide-su-mision-entre.html 2]
* [http://www.christianiconography.info/bridgetSweden.html Saint Bridget of Sweden] at the [http://www.christianiconography.info/index.html Christian Iconography] web site.
* {{DNB-Portal|118511262}}
* {{DDB|Person|118511262}}
* {{Hl-Lex|b|Birgitta_Brigitta_von_Schweden.html}}

{{Medieval women writers}}
{{History of Catholic theology}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bridget Of Sweden}}
[[Category:1303 births]]
[[Category:1373 deaths]]
[[Category:14th-century Christian mystics]]
[[Category:14th-century Swedish nuns]]
[[Category:14th-century Christian saints]]
[[Category:14th-century Swedish women writers]]
[[Category:Bridgettine mystics]]
[[Category:Bridgettine Order]]
[[Category:Bridgettine saints]]
[[Category:Brigittenau]]
[[Category:Burials at Vadstena Abbey]]
[[Category:Female saints of medieval Sweden]]
[[Category:Founders of Catholic religious communities]]
[[Category:House of Bjälbo]]
[[Category:Marian visionaries]]
[[Category:Medieval Swedish saints]]
[[Category:Roman Catholic mystics]]
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[[Category:Women mystics]]
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