Modwenna, or Modwen, was a

nun A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 599. The term is o ...

and saint in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, who founded

Burton Abbey Burton Abbey at Burton upon Trent in Staffordshire, England, was founded in the 7th or 9th century by St Modwen or Modwenna. It was refounded in 1003 as a Benedictine abbey by the thegn Wulfric Spott. He was known to have been buried in the abbey ...

in Staffordshire in the 7th century. According to the medieval ''Life of St Modwenna'' she was an

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

noblewoman by birth and founded the abbey on an island in the

River Trent The Trent is the third-longest river in the United Kingdom. Its source is in Staffordshire, on the southern edge of Biddulph Moor. It flows through and drains the North Midlands. The river is known for dramatic flooding after storms and ...

. Modwenna spent seven years at the abbey with two other Irish nuns called Lazar and Althea, before the three embarked on a

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, nature, or a higher good, through the experience. It can lead to a personal transformation, aft ...

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

. Upon their return to England they built a church at Stapenhill in honour of

Saint Peter ) (Simeon, Simon) , birth_date = , birth_place = Bethsaida, Gaulanitis, Syria, Roman Empire , death_date = Between AD 64–68 , death_place = probably Vatican Hill, Rome, Italia, Roman Empire , parents = John (or Jonah; Jona) , occupat ...

and

Saint Paul Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...

. Modwenna is reported to have performed many holy miracles at Burton Abbey, and to this day the well on the site is said to have healing properties. After a time Modwenna left Burton-upon-Trent and travelled to Scotland where she died in Langfortin, near Dundee, reportedly at the age of 130. Her body was returned to Burton-upon-Trent for burial. Another abbess and saint,

Osyth Osgyth (or Osyth; died 700 AD) was an English saint. She is primarily commemorated in the village of Saint Osyth, Essex, near Colchester. Alternative spellings of her name include Sythe, Othith and Ositha. Born of a noble family, she founded ...

(died 700), was raised under Modwenna's direction. Others, however, say that she has been confused with St Monenna (

Moninne Saint Moninne or Modwenna of Killeavy was one of Ireland's early female saints. After instruction in the religious life, she founded a community, initially consisting of eight virgins and a widow with a baby, at Slieve Gullion, in what became Co ...

) of Ireland and with a Scottish saint also called Modwenna, said to have established seven churches in Scotland, including one in

Longforgan Longforgan is a village and parish in the Carse of Gowrie, in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. It lies west of Dundee on the main A90 road. History A record survives of Sir Patrick Gray, as Baron of Longforgan, holding a baronial court here in 13 ...

, near Dundee, and that the Anglo-Norman text of her life has little historical value. This may be how she comes to be associated with Alfred the Great, whom she is said to have known, even though he lived in the 9th century, some two hundred years later. St Modwen's, Burton upon Trent is dedicated to her as is the chapel at

Pillaton Hall Pillaton Hall was an historic house located in Pillaton, Staffordshire, near Penkridge, England. For more than two centuries it was the seat of the Littleton family, a family of local landowners and politicians. The 15th century gatehouse is the ...

and the

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

St Mary and St Modwen Church, Burton-on-Trent.

References

Anglo-Saxon nuns Mercian saints Medieval Irish saints 7th-century Christian saints Burials in Staffordshire 7th-century Irish nuns 7th-century Irish abbots Irish-language feminine given names Irish expatriates in England Christian female saints of the Middle Ages 7th-century English women Female saints of medieval Ireland {{England-saint-stub