St. Bride (St. Brigid) – by John Duncan – Catholic Art Print – Archival Quality

The first time we saw this beautiful picture, we had to stop and stare. We learned the scene is from a legend of St. Brigid (St. Brid or Bride in the original Irish), that she was carried by angels across the seas and the centuries from medieval Ireland to Bethlehem in Judea, so she could be present at the birth of Jesus. The story goes on that Brigid became Jesus's foster mother, and that she served as Mary's mid-wife and helped hide Jesus from Herod. Such was the faith of the Irish that Brigid was regarded just below Mary. She is revered next to Patrick as one of the great Irish Saints. St. Brigid was born in Ireland about 457 AD, the daughter of a pagan father and a Christian mother. Throughout her life she was noted for her piety and her kindness to the poor. She founded a monastery in Kildare which lasted for 700 years until it was destroyed in the 12th Century. There are several medieval books of her life which collected oral traditions about her. She died about 525. Her feast da