Julian of Norwich

‘All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well.’

Julian was an anchoress, a woman who lives a solitary life of prayer in a cell often attached to a church. It was difficult to become an anchoress and required permission from the Bishop. It was important to demonstrate the right character and spiritual demeanour with a total devotion to prayer. The service consecrating an anchoress included part of the funeral service and sometimes anchoresses were buried in the cell they had lived in; the cell itself was often referred to as a tomb. An anchoress was not cut off from the world, however, as she was a focal part of the local community and her duty was to interact with visitors regularly. Food and money were provided in return for prayers and spiritual advice. Julian had a servant who acted as an intermediary. Confinement was characterised by structured spiritual practices, included lexio divino (spiritual reading), meditation on scripture and conversation with God. Julian’s cell had two small openings known as squints; one provided a view onto the street and the other allowed her to see into the church and follow the liturgy. Her cell was bombed in the Second World War but was rebuilt. Evidence of an anchoress in Norwich named Julian appears in will references detailing the money left to her by donors. Margaery Kempe, a mystic in King’s Lynn and a contemporary of Julian, wrote that she was told by God to make a visit to Julian in 1413 to seek spiritual advice and establish the veracity of her own visions. She tells us that Julian was an expert in such things. Unlike Julian, Margaery was illiterate and used a scribe.

Julian’s visions began in May 1373 when she was 30 years old and seriously ill.  Fairly soon after the visions, Julian wrote what became known as the Short Text. She describes seeing blood pouring from the head of Jesus on the crucifix by her bed. After deep contemplation of the visions for 20 years, Julian came to understand their meaning and wrote a longer text. In it she wishes for three gifts: a mind of Christ i.e. a deep understanding of the passion of Christ and to relive his experience; a severe illness to literalise the idea of Christ’s passion in herself; and three ‘wounds’ i.e. contrition, compassion and a longing for God. She described Jesus’ side wound as ‘the resting place of humanity’ and envisioned him as a protective mother. At this time, for a woman to claim she had visions of the Divine was problematic. Women were believed to have neither the intellectual nor the moral capacity to ascertain whether the visions had come from God or the Devil. Usually women required male clerical authorisation in the form of a scribe, but Julian does not mention a scribe. She is careful in writings to say she adheres to all tenets of the Church. She talks about being a weak feeble woman but argues just because she’s a woman, should she not tell you about the goodness of God? If the author was anonymous, Julian’s work would undoubtedly have been attributed to a man.

One of Julian’s more well-known experiences was hearing God say, ‘All shall be well, all shall be well and all manner of things shall be well.’ Julian tries to reconcile the teachings of the Church regarding sin and punishment with her understanding of God as goodness and love who does not blame humans for sinfulness. How could God create sin? God produces for her a list of famous sinners, amongst them David, St Paul and John of Beverley. After repentance they gained greater reward because they had sinned. At the end of time God will do a great deed to make things well. Her ultimate revelation was that God is love and only love.

Julian became a figure of authority in Norwich. In the 17th century, her long text was printed under the title ‘Revelations of Divine Love’. A modern English translation was produced in the early 20th century. In the 1980s, interest in Julian greatly increased and wide scholarship resulted. She has inspired poetry, plays, novels and artistic productions.

The Julian Shrine at St Julian’s Church in Norwich attracts visitors from far and wide and is only a short walk from the city centre. The church is open daily from 8:30am to 6:30pm. The walled garden surrounding the church is an oasis of tranquillity, a quiet place to reflect. The Julian Centre contains a book and gift shop, toilets and provides light refreshments. All Hallows Guesthouse is a seven bedroom retreat offering accommodation to those who wish to spend longer at the shrine. It houses the Julian of Norwich Reference Library, a comprehensive collection of Julian-related texts available for study days or browsing.