Begu (nun) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Begu |
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|---|---|
| Nun | |
| Born | Hackness, Yorkshire |
| Died | 31 October 690 |
| Venerated in | Roman Catholicism |
| Feast | 31 October |
Saint Begu was a nun who lived a long time ago in Yorkshire, England. She became known as a saint after her death on October 31, 690. Begu lived and served in a religious community at Hackness, near Scarborough. This community was part of a larger nunnery built by another famous saint, Hilda of Whitby.
A Special Vision
Begu is most famous for something amazing she claimed to see. When Saint Hilda died on November 17, 680, Begu said she witnessed a special vision. It was late at night, and the bells began to ring. Begu woke up and saw her fellow nuns still sleeping.
She then described seeing the roof of their building open up. Through this opening, she saw Saint Hilda's soul being carried up to heaven by angels. Begu told the other nuns about her vision. They all woke up and prayed for Hilda. Later that morning, monks arrived to confirm that Saint Hilda had indeed passed away.
Finding Her Resting Place
Many years after Saint Begu's death, in 1125, monks from Whitby Abbey were looking for holy relics. Relics are special items connected to saints. They wanted to replace some relics of Saint Hilda that had been moved because of Viking raids.
The monks believed they received a special message or "revelation." This led them to uncover a stone coffin, called a sarcophagus, at Hackness. This was the same place where Begu had served as a nun. The coffin had an inscription that read Hoc est sepulchrum Begu. This means "This is the tomb of Begu."
The contents of the sarcophagus were then moved to nearby Whitby. Soon after, people began to report that miracles were happening there.
