Our Lady of Walsingham

Our Lady of Walsingham is a title given to Mary, the mother of Jesus, venerated by Catholics, high-church Anglicans and Western Rite Orthodox Christians. According to tradition, the title is linked to a Marian vision experienced in 1061 by Lady Richeldis de Faverches, an Anglo-Saxon noblewoman and widow, in the village of Walsingham, Norfolk, England. In the vision allegedly seen by Lady Richeldis, the Blessed Virgin Mary showed her the Holy House in Nazareth and commissioned her to construct a counterpart in Walsingham, dedicated to the sacred mystery of the Annunciation. The reputed appearance of the Virgin Mary to Lady Richeldis is one of the earliest recorded Marian visions in England and was central to the establishment of Walsingham as a pilgrimage site. The shrine became a major pilgrimage site during the medieval period, attracting worshippers from across England and Europe. After Lady Richeldis' death, her son, Geoffrey de Faverches, inherited the estate and entrusted the care of the Holy House to his chaplain, Edwy. Before his death, Geoffrey left instructions for the establishment of a religious foundation, which led to the founding of Walsingham Priory between 1146 and 1174. The priory was eventually placed under the care of the Canons Regular of Saint Augustine, further solidifying Walsingham's role as a centre of Marian devotion in England. During the Middle Ages,

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