Lewina facts for kids

Saint Lewine was a British young woman who lived in the 600s. She is known as a martyr, which means she died because of her Christian faith. Her special day is celebrated on July 24.

Who Was Saint Lewine?

Not much is known for sure about Lewine's early life. Some stories say she was a British woman who lived during the time of King Ecgberht of Kent, who ruled from 664 to 673.

Lewine was a Christian and chose to remain unmarried. She was killed by a Saxon person who did not believe in Christianity. This happened during the lifetime of Archbishop Theodore of Tarsus, who died in 690.

Lewine was buried at a monastery in Sussex, England. This monastery was dedicated to Saint Andrew. It's possible that Lewine's name is connected to the town of Lewes. Lewes once had a church named after Saint Andrew and is close to Seaford. Some people also think she might be linked to Bishopstone, another place near Seaford.

Her Remains and Miracles

About 400 years after Lewine died, in 1058, a monk named Balgerus from a monastery in Flanders (which is now part of Belgium) traveled to England. He landed in Seaford after a storm.

The next day, he went to Saint Andrew's Abbey, which was a short distance away. There, he heard stories about amazing things that had happened because of Saint Lewine. Balgerus decided to take her remains, also called relics, back to his monastery. Even though he felt a bit bad about it, he took them to his ship.

The relics were carried to the monastery at Bergues in Flanders. They were placed in a special chest decorated with gold and silver. Many people believed that miracles happened because of Saint Lewine's relics.

Sadly, in 1522, during some religious problems, her relics were destroyed.

Stories from History

Many historians and religious writers have written about Saint Lewine. They all agree on a few key things:

• She was a British Christian woman.
• She died for her faith because of the Saxon invaders in the 7th century.
• Her body was kept in a monastery near Seaford, Sussex.
• Her relics were moved to Bergues in Flanders in 1058.
• People believed that many miracles happened because of her.

One writer, Alban Butler, mentioned that her remains, along with those of other saints, were taken to St. Winock’s Abbey at Berg. He also noted that even writers who were not Catholic mentioned the miracles that happened when her relics were moved.