![[Saint Dymphna]](http://saints.sqpn.com/saintd01.jpg "13kb jpg detail of a holy card of Saint Dymphna; artist unknown")
Also known as
- Dympna
- Dimpna
Profile
Daughter of a pagan Irish chieftain named Damon, and a beautiful devoted Christian woman whose name has not come down to us. Her mother died when Dymphna was a teenager. Her father searched the Western world for a woman to replace his wife, but none could. Returning home, he saw that his daughter was as beautiful as her mother, and maddened by grief, he made advances on her. She fought him off, then fled to Belgium with Saint Gerebernus, an elderly priest and family friend.
Dymphna’s father searched for them, and his search led to Belgium. There an innkeeper refused to accept his money, knowing it was difficult to exchange. This told Damon that his daughter was close – it would be unusual for a village innkeeper to know a lot about foreign currency, and his knowledge indicated that had recently seen it. The king concentrated his search in the area. When he found them in Gheel, he beheaded Gerebernus, and demanded that Dymphna surrender to him. She refused, and he killed her in a rage.
The site where she died is known for its miraculous healings of the insane and possessed. There is now a well-known institution on the site, and her relics are reported to cure insanity and epilepsy.
Born
- against sleepwalking
- against epilepsy
- against insanity
- against mental disorders
- against mental illness
- epileptics
- family happiness
- incest victims
- loss of parents
- martyrs
- mental asylums
- mental health caregivers
- mental health professionals
- mental hospitals
- mentally ill people
- nervous disorders
- neurological disorders
- possessed people
- princesses
- psychiatrists
- rape victims
- runaways
- sleepwalkers
- therapists
- Prayer I to Saint Dymphna
- Prayer II to Saint Dymphna
- Prayer for the intercession of Saint Dymphna
- Nine Prayers to Saint Dymphna
- being beheaded by the king
- kneeling at Mass while her father murders the priest Gerebernus
- lamp
- praying in a cloud surrounded by a group of lunatics bound with golden chains
- princess holding a lamp and sword
- princess with a sword holding the devil on a leash
- young woman with Saint Gerebernus
- woman with a sword in her hand and a fettered devil at her feet
Storefront
Additional Information
- Book of Saints, by the Monks of Ramsgate
- Catholic Encyclopedia, by J P Kirsch
- Katherine Rabenstein
- Lives of the Saints, by Father Alban Butler
- New Catholic Dictionary
- Our Sunday Visitor’s Encyclopedia of Saints
Readings
Lord, our God, you graciously chose Saint Dymphna as patroness of those afflicted with mental and nervous disorders. She is thus an inspiration and a symbol of charity to the thousands who ask her intercession. Please grant, Lord, through the prayers of this pure youthful martyr, relief and consolation to all suffering such trials, and especially those for whom we pray. (Here mention those for whom you wish to pray). We beg you, Lord, to hear the prayers of Saint Dymphna on our behalf. Grant all those for whom we pray patience in their sufferings and resignation to your divine will. Please fill them with hope, and grant them the relief and cure they so much desire. We ask this through Christ our Lord who suffered agony in the garden. Amen.
MLA Citation
- “Saint Dymphna“. Saints.SQPN.com. 10 April 2013. Web. 18 May 2013. <>