Dymphna

Saint Dymphna
The beheading of Saint Dymphna by Godfried Maes
The Lily of Éire
Born	7th century Ireland
Died	7th century Geel, Belgium
Venerated in	Roman Catholic Church
Feast	15 May
Attributes	crown, sword, lily, lamp
Patronage	mental disorders, neurological disorders, runaways, victims of incest, depression

Saint Dymphna (also: Dympna, Dimpna, Dymphnart, Damnat, from Gaelic Damh=stag and ait=little, i.e. "fawn".) (pronounced "Dimf-nah") is a Catholic saint. According to tradition, she lived in the 7th century and was the daughter of a pagan Irish king and his Christian wife. She was murdered by her father.

The story of Saint Dymphna was first recorded in the 13th century by a canon of the Church of St. Aubert at Cambrai, France. It was commissioned by Guiard of Laon (1238–1248), the Bishop of Cambrai.

The author expressly stated that his work was based upon a long-standing oral tradition and a persuasive history of miraculous healings of the mentally ill.

According to Christian tradition, Dymphna was born in Ireland in the 7th century. Dymphna's father Damon, a petty king of Oriel, was a pagan, but her mother was a devout Christian.

When Dymphna was 14 years old, she consecrated herself to Christ and took a vow of chastity. Shortly thereafter, her mother died. Damon had loved his wife deeply, and in the aftermath of her death his mental health sharply deteriorated. Eventually the king's counsellors pressed him to remarry. Damon agreed, but only on the condition that his bride would be as beautiful as his deceased wife. After searching fruitlessly, Damon began to desire his daughter because of her strong resemblance to her mother.

When Dymphna learned of her father's intentions she swore to uphold her vows, and fled his court along with her confessor Father Gerebernus, two trusted servants and the king's fool. Together they sailed towards the continent, eventually landing in what is present-day Belgium, where they took refuge in the town of Geel.

One tradition states that once settled in Geel, Saint Dymphna built a hospice for the poor and sick of the region. However, it was through the use of her wealth that her father would eventually ascertain her whereabouts, as some of the coins used enabled her father to trace them to Belgium. Damon sent his agents to pursue his daughter and her companions. When their hiding place was discovered, Damon travelled to Geel to recover his daughter. Damon ordered his soldiers to kill Father Gerebernus and tried to force Dymphna to return with him to Ireland, but she resisted. Furious, Damon drew his sword and struck off his daughter's head. She was said to have been 15 years old when she died. After Dymphna and Gerebernus were martyred, the residents of Geel buried them in a nearby cave. Years later, they decided to move the remains to a more suitable location. Some of her remains are at the Shrine to Saint Dymphna in the United States.

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