Saint Walpurga or Walburga (Old English: Wealdburg,
Latin: Valpurga, Walpurga, Walpurgis; c. AD 710 – 25 February 777 or 779), also
spelled Valderburg or Guibor, was an English missionary to the Frankish Empire.
She was canonized on 1 May ca. 870 by Pope Adrian II. Walpurgis Night (or
"Walpurgisnacht") is the name for the eve of her day, which coincides
with May Day.
Early life
Walpurga was born in the county of Devonshire, England,
into a local aristocratic family. She was the daughter of St. Richard the
Pilgrim, one of the underkings of the West Saxons, and of Winna, sister of St.
Boniface, Apostle of Germany, and had two brothers, St. Willibald and St.
Winibald. Saint Richard is buried in the Basilica of San Frediano, Lucca, where
he died on pilgrimage in 722. Saint Richard is also known as Richard the Saxon
Pilgrim, of Droitwich.
Religious career
St. Richard, when starting with his two sons on a
pilgrimage to the Holy Land, entrusted Walburga, then 11 years old, to the
abbess of Wimborne. Walpurga was educated by the nuns of Wimborne Abbey,
Dorset, where she spent 26 years as a member of the community. She then
travelled with her brothers, Willibald and Winebald, to Francia (now
Württemberg and Franconia) to assist Saint Boniface, her mother's brother, in
evangelizing among the still-pagan Germans. Because of her rigorous training,
she was able to write her brother Winibald's vita and an account in Latin of
his travels in Palestine. As a result, she is often called the first female
author of both England and Germany.
Walpurga became a nun in the double monastery of
Heidenheim am Hahnenkamm, which was founded by her other brother, Willibald,
who appointed her as his successor. Following his death in 751, she became the
abbess.
Death
Walpurga died on 25 February 777 or 779 (the records are
unclear) and was buried at Heidenheim; the day carries her name in the Catholic
church calendar. In the 870s, Walpurga's remains were transferred to Eichstätt.
In Finland, Sweden, and Bavaria, her feast day commemorates the transfer of her
relics on 1 May.
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