St Winefride’s Shrine and Well — More Than 1,300 Years of Pilgrimage in Wales

In North Wales, there is a holy well and shrine dedicated to St Winefride, often called “the Lourdes of Wales.” I visited the site and lit ten votive candles for my family and friends at the candle stand behind the well.

After offering the candles, I went up to the chapel above the well and prayed. Before leaving the shrine, I returned to the well to take a few more photographs. I slowly walked around the well and prayed once again.

Then I noticed that, among the ten votive candles, only the fourth one had gone out. All the others were still burning. Why had only the fourth candle gone out? I felt surprised and strangely moved.

At that moment, it seemed to me that the Lord already knew for whom I had offered the fourth candle.

St Winefride’s Shrine and Well — More Than 1,300 Years of Pilgrimage in Wales

St Winefride’s Shrine and Well

In Holywell, Flintshire, North Wales, stands St Winefride’s Shrine and Well. Its official name is St Winefride’s Shrine and Well. In Welsh, the saint is known as Gwenffrewi, and the well is called Ffynnon Wenffrewi.

This is the national Catholic shrine of Wales and one of the oldest continuously visited pilgrimage sites in Britain.

St Winefride’s Well Chapel and the outdoor bathing pool. Water from the well flows into this pool, where pilgrims may enter and pray at designated times and in accordance with the shrine’s guidance.

 

According to the shrine’s historical records, Richard I came here in 1189 to pray for success in the Crusades. Later, Richard II, Henry IV, Henry V, Edward IV, James II, and other members of royalty also visited St Winefride’s Well to pray.

In 1828, the young Princess Victoria, who later became Queen Victoria, visited the site with her maternal uncle, Leopold. He later became Leopold I, the first King of Belgium. The present King Charles III also visited the shrine in 2021, when he was still Prince of Wales.

Clear spring water continues to rise from St Winefride’s Well. For more than 1,300 years, pilgrims have prayed here for healing and consolation.

Who Was St Winefride?

St Winefride is believed to have lived in North Wales in the seventh century.

According to tradition, Winefride wished to dedicate herself to God, but a man who refused to accept her decision attacked and killed her. She was then restored to life through the prayers of St Beuno, and a spring is said to have risen from the place where she fell.

That spring became what is now known as St Winefride’s Well. Winefride later entered religious life and lived faithfully in the service of God. After her death, she came to be venerated as a saint associated with purity and healing.

Standing before the statue of St Winefride. The crown and palm branch symbolise her martyrdom, while the crozier represents her later life as an abbess.

More Than 1,300 Years of Pilgrimage

Pilgrims have been coming to St Winefride’s Well for approximately 1,300 years. Even after the English Reformation in the sixteenth century, when Catholic faith and the veneration of saints were suppressed, pilgrimage to the well never completely ceased. Catholics continued to come here, sometimes at great personal risk, to pray and ask for St Winefride’s intercession.

For this reason, St Winefride’s Shrine is regarded as an important symbol of the endurance of Catholic faith in Britain. The name of the town, Holywell, meaning “holy well,” also seemed perfectly suited to its long tradition of faith and touched me deeply.

A thirteenth-century oak chest displayed in the museum at St Winefride’s Shrine. Carved from a hollowed tree trunk, it is believed to have been used to hold the saint’s reliquary.

The Chapel Built Above the Well

The present stone chapel was built above St Winefride’s Well in the late medieval period. On the lower level are the spring itself and a star-shaped basin, while a small chapel occupies the upper floor. Its stone columns and elaborate vaulted ceiling remain remarkably well preserved, giving the site great architectural as well as religious significance.

Water from the well flows into the outdoor pool. After praying here, I collected some of the water and drank a little each day for several days. Pilgrims may also enter the outdoor pool and pray at designated times and according to the shrine’s instructions.

The late medieval rib-vaulted ceiling directly above St Winefride’s Well. The central pendant boss contains six scenes from the life of St Winefride, while heraldic, human, and botanical carvings decorate the surrounding vault.

The chapel above St Winefride’s Well. Beneath a late medieval timber roof and Gothic stone windows stands the altar, and the chapel is still used for prayer and liturgical services.

A Place Where Pilgrims Ask for Healing

St Winefride’s Well has long been known as a place where people come to ask for healing. Many pilgrims arrive carrying not only physical illness, but also grief, emotional wounds, fear, and suffering.

In the Catholic faith, the water of a shrine is not regarded as a magical cure. Rather, pilgrims use the water as a sign through which they remember God’s mercy and pray.

The shrine is sometimes called “the Lourdes of Wales,” although pilgrimage here began many centuries before the apparitions at Lourdes in France.

Perhaps it began after I prayed here and drank the water from the well. The painful memory of losing my father has not disappeared, but it feels as though a thin protective layer has formed around my heart. The grief that once overwhelmed me whenever I thought of him seems a little less intense now.

Could this be a grace of healing received here? I still do not know. Yet I feel that God knows my sorrow and is quietly holding me, helping me to endure. It seems that the deep wound in my heart has only just begun to heal.

The statue of “The Virgin with the Laughing Child” in the Gatehouse Chapel.

Prayer and Votive Candles at the Shrine

At the shrine, I was able to visit St Winefride’s Well and the chapel and spend time in quiet prayer. In the visitor centre and exhibition area, I learned about the life of the saint and the long history of pilgrimage. There was also a small area where visitors could obtain holy water and religious souvenirs.

I prepared ten votive candles for my family and friends and lit them one by one at the candle stand behind the well. Later, just before leaving, I returned to the well to take a few more photographs and discovered that only the fourth of the ten candles had gone out. I still wonder why that particular candle was extinguished, but I was relieved that I had returned in time to light it again.

On major pilgrimage days and religious feast days, Mass, communal prayer, and processions may also take place. Those wishing to attend Mass should check the schedule of the shrine or nearby Catholic churches before visiting.

Ten votive candles lit for my family and friends.

Visitor Information

Name
St Winefride’s Shrine and Well

Address
Greenfield Street, Holywell, Flintshire, CH8 7PN, Wales

Opening Hours
1 April–30 September: daily, 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
1 October–31 March: daily, 10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.

Admission may be restricted during the final 30 minutes before closing. The shrine is closed on Christmas Day and Boxing Day. Opening hours may also change due to religious services or operational circumstances, so it is advisable to check the official website before visiting.

Transport
The nearest main railway station is Flint, approximately 6.4 kilometres from the shrine. Public transport connections may be limited, so visitors should check bus schedules and taxi availability in advance.

A wooden cross and a fragment of medieval stone carving placed in one corner of the well chapel.

A Catholic Shrine I Encountered in North Wales

St Winefride’s Shrine and Well was a place where I could experience both the ancient faith of Wales and the long history of Catholic pilgrimage. It was not a grand cathedral, yet it left a deep impression on me as a place where countless people have come over the centuries to ask for healing and consolation.

 

On my pilgrimage towards my mother, who has become a star
— The Little Princess’s Star

 

 

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