We’re a little excited here at The Glan yr Afon to hear rumour that His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI might be popping in for a quick pint!
OK, well the chances of him nipping in for a snifter is pretty remote, but we have been told it’s possible he’ll be visiting St Winefrid’s Well in Holywell as part of his visit to the UK, probably in September next year!
According to the legend, St Winefride’s Well first erupted at the spot where her would-be rapist Caradog cut off her head with his sword. Restored to life at the prayers of her uncle St Beuno, Winefride lived as a nun until her second death some 22 years later. Whatever the exact truth of her legend, Winefride herself was real rather than legendary, and the extraordinary and enduring personality of this 7th-century Welsh woman has meant that she has been venerated as a saint ever since the moment of her death. Since that time, too, her Well at Holywell has been a place of pilgrimage and healing – the only such place in Britain with a continuous history of public pilgrimage for over 13 centuries.
The Times says the visit would also include:
the dramatic spectacle of the Pope addressing MPs and peers in Westminster Hall, where Sir Thomas More was condemned to death in 1535 for opposing the Act of Supremacy. The act made Henry VIII “supreme head” of the nascent Protestant religious group the Church of England, signalling a split from Rome. Benedict XVI would also meet the Queen on his visit.
We’re readying our rooms for the hordes of you that are bound to descend and want somewhere to stay for this hostorical event!
