St. Bridget Ways
Welcome to the Way of St. Bridget of Vadstena. The Northern German St. Bridget Way connects the Central European network of the Way of St. James with the Northern European network of the Way of St. Olav. At one end lies Santiago de Compostela with the tomb of St. James. In the north - at the other end - lies Nidaros (Trondheim) with the grave of St. Olav.
There is evidence that Bridget of Sweden made a pilgrimage with her husband Ulf Gudmarsson from Sweden via northern Germany to Santiago de Compostela in 1341. The route that the couple presumably took has been reconstructed and is now marked as the pilgrimage route of St. Bridget.
On this route, it is possible to walk in three weeks - with 21 daily stages - from Lund in Sweden via the island of Rügen, the Hanseatic city of Stralsund, further through Western Pomerania into Mecklenburg and on to the state capital Schwerin. At Tribsees, the Birgittenweg crosses the “Via Baltica” and connects to the “Camino de Santiago Lüneburger Heide” at Lauenburg. Since 2013, shells with a white cross have pointed the way along the Birgittenweg.
The life of St. Bridget
1303
Bridget of Sweden (Birgitta Birgersdotter) was born in 1303 into one of Sweden's most powerful families. Her father was the presiding judge in Uppland (the most populous region of Sweden on the Baltic Sea at the time). Her mother is related to the ruling Swedish royal family. Even as a child, Bridget has visions and aspires to a life in a convent.
1316
However, she was married to Ademar Ulf Gudmarsson at the age of 13. Her husband, five years her senior, is governor of the province of Närke and comes from a Swedish knightly family. They move together to Ulvåsa Castle in the historic province of Östergötland on the shores of Lake Vättern. Bridget is later to have her sphere of influence nearby. She lived at the castle with her husband for over 20 years, during which time she had eight children, four girls and four boys. Two of the boys die, one at the age of ten and the other at twelve. Her daughter Merete will later educate the young Queen Margaret I at the Swedish court. In addition to her role as a mother, Bridget takes care of women in the area who are excluded from society for various reasons.
1335
After almost 20 years at the castle, Bridget is summoned to the royal court. King Magnus Eriksson (or Magnus II) appoints Bridget as his chief steward. In this role, she is required to take care of his wife Blanche of Namur. Among other things, it is her job to teach the Belgian Swedish.
1339
Bridget is making her first pilgrimage with her husband. They are walking to Nidaros, now the Norwegian city of Trondheim. Saint Olav II Haraldson, a 11th-century Norwegian king, is buried here in the Nidaros Cathedral. He is remembered for miracles and legends. Olav also tried to pacify the conflicts in his country.
1341
After her return, Bridget leaves the royal court and makes a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela two years later, again with her husband. They end up in the middle of the hostilities of the 100-year war raging between England and France.
1344
On the journey home, Ulf fell ill. They stayed together in the Cistercian monastery of Alvasta in the province of Östergötland, only about 25 kilometers from Vadstena, of which the ruins can still be seen today. Ulf died in 1344 and Bridget stayed in the monastery for another two years, writing down the revelations she received for the first time. She felt she was the “bride of Christ” and had been called to be his mouthpiece. At the same time, she repeatedly visited the royal court. She led a strictly ascetic life.
1346
In one of her visions, she is instructed to found a new religious order and a monastery. King Magnus Eriksson gives her the estate of Vadstena for the monastery. As an advisor to the royal court, she openly criticizes the lavish lifestyle of the nobility and even that of the royal couple.
1349
In a revelation, God showed Bridget the way to the Pope in Rome, where the Pope was not staying at the time. Between 1309 and 1377, seven popes were crowned in Avignon one after the other. France's influence was powerful, with more and more cardinals emerging from the country. The first French pope, Clement V, did not even move to Rome after his election, but initially remained in Lyon, and then moved to Avignon. Two centuries earlier, the popes had still fought bitterly to be independent of any crown. Bridget advocated that the Pope return to Rome. But when Bridget arrived, Rome was in a state of civil war.
1350
Bridget's daughter Catherine followed her mother to Rome. The two women lived with some of their followers in a monastery-like community at the site of the present-day Piazza Farnese. “From her vision arose the extraordinary life of penance and seclusion that she led in Italy during all the long years of waiting for official recognition and public approval of her plan.” (Tore Nyberg in: Birgitta Atlas, ed. Ulla Sander-Olsen, Tore Nyberg, Per Sloth Carlsen, Societas Birgitta). Bridget runs a hostel for Swedish pilgrims and students. At the same time, she takes care of prostitutes. The place at Piazza Farnese is still considered the “mother house” of the Bridgettine order. The church of St. Bridget was built on the site during her lifetime. However, the present building dates from the early 15th century.
1352
Bridget herself repeatedly undertook pilgrimages, walking 175 kilometers north to Assisi, the birthplace of Saint Francis, in 1352. Political reasons may also have played a role in her pilgrimage to Naples in 1365: Together with her son Charles, she stayed with Joan I of Anjou, who was Queen of Naples, Sicily and Jerusalem at the time. The powerful House of Anjou also controlled Avignon, the seat of the popes at the time. But Joanna's power was waning. Instead of asserting her influence, the twice-widowed Joanna fell in love with Bridget's son.
1367
After her return, the reigning Pope Urban V also returned to Rome. Over a period of three years, Bridget and the Pope met several times. She asked him for permission to found a monastery according to new religious rules. However, the Pope did not grant her this request.
1370
Pope Urban V was met with incomprehension by many Christians – including Bridget – when he set off for Avignon again. Bridget hurried after him and caught up with him in Montefiascone, further north. She obtained permission to found a convent, but not according to her own rules. However, “this paved the way for the necessary construction work on the manor house in Vadstena, an old brick building. The main buildings of the estate had to be adapted to the needs of a community of up to 60 nuns. Likewise, other nearby buildings had to be furnished for a community of up to 25 priests and laymen who were to be associated with the convent.” (Tore Nyberg, ibid.) The convent in Vadstena, Sweden, was built and Bridget remained in Rome.
1372
At the age of 69, Bridget embarked on her last pilgrimage to the Holy Land with her children Catherine, Birger and Charles. They traveled to Cyprus and lived at the court of Eleanor of Aragon, Queen of Cyprus. Bridget became her counselor, as she had advised several queens before her.
1373
Bridget died on July 23, 1373 in her house in Piazza Farnese. It was not until five years after her death that the next Pope, Urban VI, recognized the double order in Vadstena and its rules. “Some conceptions of the early 14th century of a religious life in communal poverty, chastity and obedience coincided and merged with the new idea of monastic life.” (Tore Nyberg, ibid.).
1391
Pope Boniface IX canonized Bridget of Sweden 18 years after her death. In 1991 she was named a patroness of Europe, together with Catherine of Siena and Edith Stein. “Bridget (1303 to 1373), who was already an influential figure as the daughter of the Swedish judge Birger Persson, was one of those personalities of the 14th century who, together with her husband Ulf Gudmarsson, recognized the extraordinary importance of spiritual inspiration for the orderly development of Christian law and religion.” (Tore Nyberg, ibid.).
The seven key words of pilgrimage
To be a pilgrim means to be on the way, in the sense of both external and internal wandering. What does that mean in concrete terms?
The terms from medieval devotional pilgrimage are a good fit here. Saint Bridget is said to have coined seven key words for pilgrimage: freedom, simplicity, silence, light-heartedness, slowness, spirituality, community.
These terms can take on meaning for the journey and for the rest of your life.
An interpretation becomes meaning when we take the time to “traverse” the concept ourselves. What does it mean for my life? Today? In my past? Where should this concept gain significance in my future? These questions can be meditated on. The word 'meditation' is used here in accordance with its etymological origin. The Latin meditatio means: to reflect, to contemplate, to deliberate.
Freedom
Freedom!
The buzzword of our time. I want to be free!
Free from what? From daily chores? The stress of everyday life? My living environment?
Freedom means something different to everyone. What does freedom mean to me? What do I want to let go of in order to be free? Which ties give me freedom in other areas? Freedom means being spoilt for choice. Freedom means letting go of things in order to be able to grasp others. Freedom means: there is a time for everything!
Freedom means: I commit to what is important to me and let go of what has become unimportant to me. Freedom only works within limits. Pilgrimage is trying out a new freedom – for a limited time. I take the freedom to go my way. Today. I decide whether to take the short cut or the more beautiful but longer route around the lake.
I take the freedom to choose whether company is a blessing or a curse for me today.
I have the freedom of my reactions. I decide how I react to the change in the weather, the rain shower. Maybe in a completely different way than usual. Maybe I welcome the rain, even if it comes at the wrong time.
I take the freedom to dream, to cry, to laugh. And maybe, as I reflect, I remember feelings that bind me and from which I could have freed myself long ago. Being able to forgive is also freedom.
Simplicity
When I am on a pilgrimage, I carry what I need on my back. I take as much as necessary and as little as possible. That is the motto. Minimalism is a buzzword. But maybe it is just the opposite of our ever more complex lifestyle. I don't need much to live. This realization is liberating. The really good things in life are often free. This realization does not hit me on the couch at home. I “walk” this realization. Pilgrimage practices a lifestyle of simplicity. Pilgrimage is reduced to the essentials. We are wanderers in this life, passing through. We cannot take anything beyond the threshold of death. The outer and inner paths run parallel. Without the external ballast of daily life, there is also inner space for prayer and meditation. A soft bed and a warm shower are pleasant. But a swim in the lake also cleanses. And a tent is enough to spend the night in. The anticipation of a hearty meal in the evening makes the journey more enjoyable. And gratitude for hospitality received grows with every kilometer traveled during the day.
Silence
How can I know who I am and what I want?
How can I find myself beyond all external suggestions?
How can I recognize my own voice and distinguish it from the babble of voices around me?
In silence, we come to our senses, our senses gather, our concentration grows. We are usually at the mercy of the sounds around us. We cannot switch off our ears and only seemingly get used to a background noise. Sounds draw our attention outwards, sometimes to such an extent that we seem to lose ourselves in our environment. You have to seek and allow silence. But silence can also cause discomfort. Do I actually want to be alone with myself? I take time to observe nature in silence. Quietly contemplating the landscape or a tree calms the unease and silence sets in. Silence leads us back to ourselves. On a pilgrimage, there are periods of silence – times when we consciously refrain from communicating. Periods of silence can help us to find silence.
With temporary silence, I give my senses space to perceive more deeply. After some time in silence, the inner noise of our constantly revolving thoughts also subsides. My soul becomes calm, like a mirror of water that is not disturbed. Now I can look into the deeper layers and thus begin an inward journey.
Carefreeness
Is there such a thing as true carefreeness?
We know it exists, and that is why we are looking for it. It is the easy-going, playful insouciance of small children who do not worry about the future. And now, as adults, the worries of everyday life overcome us. We did not invite them. They come as companions to our complicated future planning. Jesus says: Do not worry about tomorrow. Tomorrow will have its own worries. It is enough that each day has its own worries. (Matthew 6:34)
Pilgrimage invites you to try less planning and more trust. As an exercise for everyday life. This is where new trust and serenity can develop. Despite all our planning, there is much that is out of our hands, however much we worry. Pilgrimage promises to return to the carefree and unconcerned days of childhood. I can only walk as far as my feet will carry me. Everything else arises, sometimes in a wonderful way. Because God takes care of me. I can be calm and let go. I trust in heaven's abundant blessings.
Slowness
Being on the road without a schedule, without pressure. On the road at walking speed. I perceive my environment differently. My focus sharpens. My senses awaken. I see the oak tree with its rustic growth pattern at the side of the road with new eyes. It is old and grows slowly. It has character. Perhaps it is because of the slow growth that I perceive the dignity of the oak so clearly? There is a rustling in its branches and a blackbird begins to sing. Two trees further on, another blackbird answers. I listen.
The cloud formation in front of me breaks up and the sunlight shines like a spotlight on part of the landscape, transforming it into something special. An everyday phenomenon. But I don't usually notice it. It takes time to see the everyday wonders.
The potato roses by the wayside have a lovely scent. When did I last smell a flower? Let all my senses be engaged?
Slowness means: I find my own pace, my own rhythm. And I still arrive. Not rushed, but collected. I may not be the first, but what does it matter?
Slowness means that I am ready with all my senses. My head, my body and my soul find their way back to unity. I come into contact with myself. My movements become more precise, no longer so erratic. I consciously put one foot in front of the other. I walk towards my inner peace. I have time to be. More than a short time.
Spirituality
Spirituality means: I recognize that there is something beyond my comprehension, understanding and scientific proof. Another dimension. God?
This dimension touches and runs through my life. Just as I am connected to earthly things, to the material and visible, I am also part of heavenly things, of the immaterial world.
When I go on a pilgrimage, I allow this spiritual world to enter me. A first step is to consciously breathe in order to come to myself. In Hebrew, the breath and the Spirit of God are one word: Ruach. “God breathed the breath of life into the human being, and so the human being became a living being” – so it says in the biblical creation account.
I am both: I am part of the earth, the Adama, that is, an Adam, a human being. And I am part of the spiritual world through the breath, the Spirit of God, which makes me alive.
Inner and outer wandering bring both together and allow both parts of me their space.
Augustine, an ancient church father, put it this way: “Our hearts are restless until they find rest in you, God; for you were our purpose in creating us.” When I go on a pilgrimage, I can allow this restlessness to be and follow it. When I go on a pilgrimage, my outer and inner life can be put in order. Something in me comes together that belongs together and makes me whole. Spirituality is wholeness. It does not ignore issues such as illness, suffering, the meaning of life and death. This is inner spiritual work. Devotions and meditations help, as do the metaphors and images of the Bible.
