Saint of the Day - Ursula (October 21st)
Channel: House of Prayers for Everyone (HOPE)
Date: 2023-10-20

Saint Ursula is a legendary Romano-British Christian Virgin and Martyr Saint. Her feast day in the pre-1970 General Roman Calendar is celebrated every October 21.

Legend of the Virgins of Cologne

The only known early history of Ursula was that she was the daughter of King Dionotus, the ruler of Cornwall. Her legend comes from a medieval story in which, at the request of her father, set sail along with 11,000 virginal handmaidens to join her future husband, the pagan governor Conan Meriadoc of Armorica.

After a miraculous storm brought them over the sea in a single day to a Gaulish port, Ursula declared that before her marriage, she would undertake a pan-European pilgrimage. She headed for Rome with her followers and persuaded Pope Cyriacus and Sulpicius, bishop of Ravenna, to join them. 

After setting out for Cologne, which was being besieged by Huns, all the virgins were beheaded in a massacre. It is believed that the Huns' leader fatally shot Ursula with an arrow in about 383 AD.

Legacy

More commonly known as the Ursulines, the Order of Ursulines was founded by Saint Angela Merici in honor of Saint Ursula in the year 1535, which also helped to spread the name of St. Ursula. They are especially devoted to the education of young girls.

The Basilica of St. Ursula is located in Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is built upon the ancient ruins of a Roman cemetery, where the 11,000 virgins associated with the legend of Saint Ursula are said to have been buried.

The Virgin Islands and the Ursulines are named in her honor.

Image attributed to the following:
- By Nat Lamina (@lasarasu) - https://www.deviantart.com/lasarasu/art/The-Martyrdom-of-Saint-Ursula-800979743, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=117025102