Saint Mildred of Thanet

Memorial

• 13 July
• 18 May (translation of relics)
• 20 February (translation of relics)

Profile

Daughter of Merewalh, King of Mercia, and Saint Ermenburga of Thanet. Sister of Saint Milburga and Saint Mildgytha. Educated at the convent school of Chelles, near Paris, France. Rejected an offer of marriage, and entered the convent of Minster on the Isle of Thanet, a house which was founded by her mother, is still in use, and is one of the oldest continuously occupied structures in Britain. Benedictine nun. Worked with Saint Theodore of Canterbury. Abbess at Minster where one of her novices of Saint Edburga. Noted for her generosity to the poor, and special attention to social outcasts. Yearly pilgrimages to her relics at Minster continue to today.

Died

• c.700 of natural causes
• relics first enshrined at Canterbury, England
• relics translated to Deventer, the Netherlands
• part of the relics have been translated to Minster, England

Canonized

• 1388 by Pope Urban VI

Representation

• Benedictine nun accompanied by a hart, usually white
• Benedictine nun holding a church
• Benedictine nun with three geese

Additional Information

• Book of Saints, by the Monks of Ramsgate
• Kirken i Norge
• Lives of the Saints, by Father Alban Butler
• Our Sunday Visitor’s Encyclopedia of Saints

MLA Citation

• “Saint Mildred of Thanet“. Saints.SQPN.com. 20 February 2013. Web. 20 June 2013. <>