Bridget of Sweden

About Bridget of Sweden

Bridget of Sweden was a mystic, visionary, and founder of the Bridgettine Order. Born into Swedish nobility, she received visions from childhood. At 13, she married Ulf Gudmarsson, a provincial governor, and they had eight children (including St. Catherine of Sweden).

Bridget and her husband lived devoutly, making a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. After Ulf's death in 1344, Bridget entered religious life, experiencing intense mystical visions of Christ's Passion, Mary's sorrows, and revelations about contemporary church and political affairs.

Her visions, recorded in eight books called the "Revelations," contain theological insights, moral exhortations, and prophetic warnings to popes and rulers. While some were controversial, the Revelations were widely read and influenced medieval spirituality, particularly devotion to Christ's Passion.

Bridget founded the Order of the Most Holy Savior (Bridgettines) at Vadstena, Sweden, in 1346—a double monastery for monks and nuns under an abbess, dedicated to contemplation and learning. The order spread throughout Europe and continues today.

In 1349, Bridget moved to Rome, hoping to obtain papal approval for her order and to persuade the pope to return from Avignon to Rome (during the "Babylonian Captivity"). She lived in Rome for 24 years, caring for the poor, experiencing visions, and boldly admonishing clergy and nobility to reform.

Bridget made pilgrimages to holy sites and finally to the Holy Land in 1371-1372. Shortly after returning to Rome, she died in 1373. Her daughter Catherine brought her body back to Vadstena. Bridget was canonized in 1391 and declared a patron saint of Europe in 1999.