Hilda of Whitby facts for kids
Quick facts for kids SaintHilda of Whitby |
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St. Hilda as depicted in a stained glass window in Chester Cathedral
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| Abbess of Whitby | |
| Born | c. 614 Kingdom of Deira |
| Died | 17 November 680 Whitby Abbey |
| Venerated in | Catholic Church Anglican Communion Eastern Orthodox Church |
| Canonized | Pre-Congregation |
| Feast | Varies 17 November 18 November 19 November In the Anglican Use of Rome, her feast is on 23 June. |
| Attributes | Crozier, Whitby Abbey |
Hilda (also known as Hild) of Whitby was a very important Christian saint. She lived from about 614 to 680 AD. Hilda was the first leader, or abbess, of the monastery at Whitby. This monastery was chosen for a major meeting called the Synod of Whitby in 664.
Hilda played a big part in bringing Christianity to Anglo-Saxon England. She led several monasteries and was known for her great wisdom. Even kings came to her for advice. Most of what we know about Hilda comes from a book called Ecclesiastical History of the English People. This book was written by Bede in 731. Bede was born only about eight years before Hilda died. He wrote a lot about how the Anglo-Saxons became Christian.
Contents
Hilda's Early Life
Hilda was born in 614 into the royal family of Deira. She was the second daughter of Hereric, who was the nephew of King Edwin of Northumbria. When Hilda was a baby, her father was poisoned. This happened while he was in exile in what is now West Yorkshire.
In 616, King Edwin took the throne of the new Kingdom of Northumbria. Hilda grew up in King Edwin's royal court. In 625, King Edwin married Æthelburh of Kent, a Christian princess. She was allowed to continue her Christian faith. Her chaplain, Paulinus of York, came with her.
In 627, King Edwin became a Christian. He was baptised on Easter Day, April 12. His whole court was baptised with him, including 13-year-old Hilda. This happened in a small wooden church near where York Minster is today.
In 633, King Edwin was killed in battle. Paulinus, Hilda, and Queen Æthelburh went to Kent. Queen Æthelburh started a convent (a place for nuns) at Lyminge. Hilda likely stayed with her there.
Hilda's older sister, Hereswith, became a nun in France. At 33, Hilda was planning to join her sister. But then, Bishop Aidan of Lindisfarne asked her to return to Northumbria. She decided to become a nun there instead.
Becoming an Abbess
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Hilda's first convent was on the north bank of the River Wear. There, she learned about Celtic monasticism. This was a way of life for monks and nuns. Bishop Aidan had brought these traditions from Iona. After one year, Aidan made Hilda the second Abbess of Hartlepool Abbey. An abbess is the leader of a convent or monastery. No part of this abbey remains today. But its old cemetery has been found near St Hilda's Church, Hartlepool.
In 657, Hilda became the first abbess of Whitby Abbey. It was then called Streoneshalh. She stayed there until she died. Old records show her monastery was built in the Celtic style. People lived in small houses, usually two or three together. In these "double monasteries," men and women lived separately. But they worshipped together in the church.
Bede wrote that Hilda's abbey followed strict rules. Everything was shared. People practiced Christian values like peace and kindness. Everyone had to study the Bible and do good deeds. Five men from this monastery later became bishops. Two of them, John of Beverley and Wilfrid, became saints. They were important in the fight against paganism (religions that are not Christian).
Hilda's Character and Wisdom
Bede described Hilda as a very energetic woman. She was a great leader and teacher. As a landowner, she had many people working for her. They cared for animals, farmed, and cut wood. She became so well-known for her wisdom that kings and princes asked for her advice.
Hilda also cared about ordinary people. One example is Cædmon. He was a herder at the monastery. He was inspired in a dream to sing songs praising God. Hilda saw his special talent. She encouraged him to develop it. Bede wrote, "All who knew her called her mother because of her outstanding devotion and grace."
The Important Synod of Whitby
Whitby Abbey was very respected. Because of this, King Oswiu of Northumberland chose Hilda's monastery for the Synod of Whitby. This was the first major church meeting in his kingdom. He invited church leaders from far away to attend.
Most people at the synod, including Hilda, agreed with the King's decision. They decided to use the Roman way of calculating Easter. This made Roman practices the standard in Northumbria. Monks from Lindisfarne did not agree. They left and went to Iona and later to Ireland.
Later Life and Death
Hilda suffered from a fever for the last seven years of her life. But she kept working until she died on November 17, 680 AD. She was 66 years old, which was a very old age back then. In her last year, she started another monastery. It was 14 miles from Whitby, at Hackness.
She died after receiving viaticum (a special Christian rite). A legend says that at the moment she died, the bells of the Hackness monastery rang. A nun named Begu said she saw Hilda's soul being carried to heaven by angels.
Amazing Legends About Hilda
A local legend says that when sea birds fly over Whitby Abbey, they dip their wings. They do this to honor Saint Hilda. Another legend tells of a problem with snakes. Hilda supposedly turned them into stone. This legend explains why there are ammonite fossils on the shore. Sometimes, local craftspeople would carve snake heads onto these ammonites. They would sell them as proof of Hilda's miracle.
In fact, the scientific name for a type of ammonite, Hildoceras, comes from St. Hilda. The symbol of nearby Whitby includes three of these 'snakestones'. Ammonites also appear on the shield of the University of Durham's College of St Hild and St Bede. A carved ammonite stone is even set into a wall at Durham. The shield of St Hilda's College, Oxford also has a curled snake. The ammonite is a symbol for that college.
Honoring Saint Hilda
People started honoring Hilda very early on. Her name was in the calendar of Saint Willibrord, written in the early 700s. One story says her bones were moved to Glastonbury by King Edmund. Another story says King Edmund brought her bones to Gloucester.
In the Roman Catholic Church, Saint Hilda's feast day is November 17. A feast day is a special day to remember a saint. In some parts of the Anglican Communion, her feast day is November 18. In others, like the Anglican Church of Australia, it's November 17. The Church of England celebrates it on November 19.
What Hilda is Known For
Hilda is seen as one of the patron saints of learning and culture. This includes poetry, because she supported Cædmon. Saint Hilda is also the patron saint of the National Cathedral School for Girls in Washington, D.C..
St Hilda's College, Oxford, was started in 1893 for female students. It stayed a women's college for over 100 years. It became co-educational (for both boys and girls) when nearly half of Oxford students were women. The college's symbol is Hilda's ammonite. For its 100th anniversary, 100 silver ammonites were made. Former students proudly own them to honor St. Hilda's achievements.
How Hilda is Shown in Art
St. Hilda is usually shown holding a pastoral staff. This is a special staff carried by church leaders. She often carries a model of an abbey church. You can also often see ammonites at her feet.
Hilda's Lasting Legacy
Whitby Abbey's Story
Hilda was followed as abbess by Eanflæd, King Oswiu's widow, and their daughter, Ælfflæd. We don't know much about Whitby Abbey after that until it was destroyed. This happened in 867 by Danish invaders. After the Norman conquest in 1066, monks from Evesham rebuilt the abbey. It became a Benedictine house for men. It continued until King Henry VIII closed many monasteries in 1539.
There is a legend that the ghost of St. Hilda appears in the ruins. She is said to be wrapped in a shroud. Another legend says the abbey bells can be heard ringing under the water. They supposedly sank with a ship taking them to London after the abbey was taken apart.
Churches Named After Hilda
Two churches in Whitby are named after Saint Hilda. One is Roman Catholic and the other is Anglican. There is also a church in Bilsborrow, Lancashire, named for her.
Other Anglican churches named after St. Hilda are in South Shields, Leeds, and Jesmond, Newcastle upon Tyne. The Jesmond church opened in 1882. It has a statue of St. Hilda. It shows her as the "Mother" of her abbey at Whitby. She is also in a stained glass window there. The church is still active today. Several small streets nearby are named after the church.
Religious Groups Inspired by Hilda
A group of Anglican sisters, the Order of the Holy Paraclete, was started in 1915. This was at St. Hilda's Priory, near Whitby. More recently, the Community of St. Aidan and St. Hilda was founded on Lindisfarne.
A group of Anglo-Catholic deaconesses started in 1910. They lived in a house called St. Hilda's House in New Haven, Connecticut. These deaconesses served the church and helped the poor. They ran a free medicine clinic and a soup kitchen. Today, a program called St. Hilda's House-Episcopal Service Corps continues their legacy.
Schools and Colleges Honoring Hilda
St. Hilda has become the patron of many schools and colleges worldwide. The College of St Hild and St Bede, Durham, St Hild's Church of England School, Hartlepool, St Hilda's College, Oxford, and St Hilda's Collegiate School, Dunedin, are all named after her. A stone from the 13th-century ruins of Whitby Abbey was given to St Hilda's College (University of Melbourne). This stone is at the college entrance.
St. Hilda's College, University of Toronto is a women's college. Saint Hilda is honored there as a co-patron. Daily services are held in its chapel.
St. Hilda's Diocesan High School is an Anglican boarding school for girls in Jamaica. It was founded in 1906. St. Hilda's College in Buenos Aires, Argentina, was founded in 1912.
There are two schools in Australia named St. Hilda's Anglican School for Girls. They are in Southport, Queensland, and Mosman Park, Western Australia.
In Manhattan, New York City, there is St. Hilda's and St. Hugh's School. It is an independent Episcopal day school. It opened in 1950 and teaches children from toddlers to eighth grade.
St. Hilda is also honored in Singapore with St. Hilda's primary and secondary schools. During the British Empire in India, Anglican missionaries built "St. Hilda Boarding School" at Miri-Maka. St. Hilda's School, Ootacamund, in southern India, was started by Church of England sisters in 1895.
Hilda in Books and Plays
Hilda appears as a main character in the 1994 novel Absolution for Murder. This is the first book in Peter Tremayne's Sister Fidelma mystery series.
She is also a main character in Melvyn Bragg's 1996 novel, Credo. The 2013 novel Hild by Nicola Griffith is based on Hilda's life.
Jill Dalladay's 2015 novel The Abbess of Whitby mixes history and fiction. It imagines Hilda's life before she became a nun.
Maureen Duffy's play The Choice was first shown in 2018. In this play, Hilda tells two stories from her life. These stories are recorded by Bede. They include the 'miracle' of the poet-cowherd Caedmon. She also talks about her role in changing the English church from Irish to Roman Catholic practices.
Vibeke Vasbo's Danish novel Hildas sang (1991) was translated into English in 2018. It is called The Song of Hild.
See also
In Spanish: Hilda de Whitby para niños
