Julian of Norwich was a female 14th-century Catholic. Julian of Norwich was an anchoress, a hermit, who wrote a great deal. She has been quoted by poet TS Eliot and in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Julian of Norwich has been mentioned as a doctor of the Catholic Church. During her life, though she lived a long time, and was isolated, the City of Norwich (the second most important city in England) had to contend with both the bubonic plague and a peasants’ revolt. Julian of Norwich primarily wrote about the divine love of Jesus. Have you ever heard of Julian of Norwich?
Julian of Norwich Biography
Julian of Norwich was born in about 1343 and died in about 1416. She has several aliases as she is also known as Juliana of Norwich, the Lady Julian, Dame Julian, or Mother Julian. She was an English anchoress of the Middle Ages. An anchoress is akin to a hermit. Her writings, now known as Revelations of Divine Love, are the earliest surviving English-language works attributed to a woman. She might become a doctor of the Catholic church.
Julian of Norwich lived in the English city of Norwich, which was am important commercial center and a city that had a vibrant religious life. During her lifetime, about which we know little, Norwich suffered the horrible effects of the Black Death, and the Peasants’ Revolt.
In 1373, Julian of Norwich was 30 and so seriously ill she thought she was on her deathbed; she had a series of visions of the Passion of Christ. She recovered from her illness and wrote two versions of her experiences, the earlier one being completed soon after her recovery. The other was a much longer version.
Julian of Norwich lived in permanent seclusion as an anchoress in her cell, which was attached to St Julian’s Church, Norwich. Details of Julian’s family, education, or her life before becoming a hermit are not known; it is even unclear whether her actual name was Julian.
Julian of Norwich is not canonised in the Catholic Church, but Julian is quoted in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. That is quite an accomplishment for somebody who died in 1416. She may not ever be canonized, though there are societies that honor her.
What it Means to be a Hermit
In Christianity, an anchorite or anchoress is someone who, for religious reasons, withdraws from secular society to be able to lead an intensely prayer-oriented, ascetic, or Eucharist-focused life. Most anchoritic anchorholds, where they lived, were small, about 3.7 to 4.6 m (12 to 15 ft) square, with three windows. Viewing the altar, hearing Mass, and receiving the Eucharist were possible through one small, shuttered window in the common wall facing the sanctuary, called a “hagioscope” or “squint.”
Some anchorholds had a few small rooms or attached gardens. Servants tended to the basic needs of the secluded inhabitants, providing food and water and removing waste. Julian of Norwich, for example, had maidservants, among them Sara and Alice.
An idea of their daily routine is known from the anchoritic rule. The most widely known text today is the early 13th-century text known as Ancrene Wisse. Another, less widely known, example is the rule known as De Institutione Inclusarum, written in the 12th century by Aelred of Rievaulx for his sister. It is estimated that the daily set devotions detailed in Ancrene Wisse would take some four hours, on top of which anchoresses would listen to services in the church and engage in their own private prayers and devotional reading.
Conclusion
Julian of Norwich is not a Catholic Saint, but has been influential in the Catholic church. She is quoted in the Catechism of the Catholic Curch. It is unlikely she will be canonized, having died more than 600 years ago. It is important to note she is venerated in her native England.
