Julian of Norwich
Julian of Norwich
1342 — 1500
royaume d'Angleterre
A fourteenth-century English mystic, Julian of Norwich is the first known woman to write in the English language. Following a divine vision received in 1373, she composed Revelations of Divine Love, a foundational work of medieval Christian spirituality. Living as an anchoress in Norwich, she developed a theology centered on divine love and mercy.
Famous Quotes
« All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well. »
« Love was his meaning. Who showed it to you? Love. What did he show you? Love. Why did he show it? For love. »
Key Facts
- Around 1342: likely born in Norwich, England
- May 1373: receives sixteen visions (showings) during a serious illness, at the age of 30
- Around 1393: writes the long version of Revelations of Divine Love
- Lives as an anchoress in a cell attached to the Church of St Julian in Norwich
- 1416: last known mention during her lifetime; date of death unknown
Works & Achievements
The first text written shortly after her visions of May 1373, it offers a direct and relatively brief account of them. It is the oldest known text written by a woman in the English language.
The definitive and expanded version of her visions, the fruit of twenty years of theological reflection. Julian deepens themes such as the motherhood of God, mercy, and the nature of sin; it is her major work.
Anecdotes
In May 1373, Julian of Norwich, then around thirty years old, fell gravely ill and believed she was dying. It was during this crisis that, according to her account, she received sixteen visions — which she calls 'showings' — of the suffering Christ. Against all expectations, she made a full recovery the following day.
Julian chose to live as an anchoress in a cell attached to the Church of Saint Julian in Norwich. This cell had three windows: one opening into the church to follow the services, one facing outside to receive food and visitors, and one for conversing with those who sought her counsel. She never left this enclosed space.
Although she describes herself as ignorant and uneducated ('a simple creature unlettered'), Julian wrote two versions of her Revelations: a short text, composed shortly after her visions, and a long text, the fruit of twenty years of meditation and theological reflection. This paradox between her professed humility and her genuine intellectual depth continues to fascinate scholars.
Julian's most famous phrase, 'All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well,' was, she says, revealed to her directly by God. This message of optimism, spoken in an age of plague and war, is a radical word of consolation that still earns her a wide spiritual audience today.
Margery Kempe, the first known autobiographer in the English language, visited Julian around 1413 to share her own mystical experiences. Julian encouraged her to persevere. This meeting between two major figures of medieval English female spirituality is documented in the Book of Margery Kempe.
Primary Sources
In this time I wanted to look beside the cross, and I durst not, for I wist well, while I beheld in the cross I was sure and safe from fiends.
He said not 'Thou shalt not be tempested, thou shalt not be travailed, thou shalt not be afflicted'; but He said: 'Thou shalt not be overcome.'
And then she was bidden by our Lord for to go to an anchoress in the same city which was called Dame Julian, and so she did and showed her the grace that God put in her soul.
Item lego Juliane anachorite apud Seynt Julyan in Norwico ijs.
Key Places
It was in this cell adjoining St Julian's Church that Julian lived as an anchoress for decades, writing her Revelations and receiving visitors seeking spiritual guidance. The church was rebuilt after the Second World War, but the cell has been restored.
The second largest city in England during the Middle Ages, Norwich was a thriving commercial and religious centre. Julian spent her entire known adult life there; the city was badly hit by the Black Death, a context that permeates the consoling tone of her work.
The main religious centre of Norwich, this Benedictine priory dominated the city's spiritual life. As an anchoress attached to a parish church, Julian was part of this local monastic and clerical network.
The conflict between France and England and successive outbreaks of plague formed the historical backdrop against which Julian developed her theology of love and divine mercy, as a direct response to the traumas of her age.
Gallery
The church of SS Andrew and Mary - St Julian of Norwich - geograph.org.uk - 1547398
Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0 — Evelyn Simak
Julian of Norwich
Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0 — rocketjohn
St Margaret's church - the Julian chapel - geograph.org.uk - 1718971
Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0 — Evelyn Simak
Statue of Dame Julian
Wikimedia Commons, CC0 — Poliphilo
Image of Julian of Norwich (St. Julian's Church, Norwich)
Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0 — photograph by Evelyn Simak