person
Brigid of Kildare
Also known as Brigit, Bride
medium
- born. 451high · Wikidata P569
- died. c. 525medium · Wikidata P570
Irish abbess (d. c. 525) of Kildare whose early Lives mix history and legend.
Wikipedia extract
Brigid of Kildare or Brigid of Ireland is the patroness saint of Ireland, and one of its three national saints along with Patrick and Columba. According to medieval Irish hagiographies, she was an abbess who founded the important abbey of Kildare, as well as several other convents of nuns. There is little historical evidence of her. Her hagiographies primarily focus on her miracles, and many stories about her have their basis in Irish pagan folklore. They say Brigid was the daughter of an Irish clan chief and an enslaved Christian woman, and was fostered in a druid's household before becoming a consecrated virgin. She is patroness of many things, including poetry, learning, healing, protection, blacksmithing, livestock, and dairy production. In her honour, a perpetual fire was kept burning at Kildare for centuries.
CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikipedia contributors. Source page
Sources
- Brigid of Kildare · Wikipedia contributorsAccessed 2026-11-12 · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Wikidata Q80979 · Wikidata contributorsAccessed 2026-11-12 · CC0 1.0
- Catholic Encyclopedia (1907-1912) article · Various (Catholic Encyclopedia)Accessed 2026-11-12 · 1907-1912 text public domain in the US; dated and confessional, use for history of reception
Authority files
- Q80979
- VIAF 14737102
- Library of Congress n85251450
- Catholic Encyclopedia 02784b
irish-christianity · women · 6th-century