Walsingham
Civil parish in Norfolk, England / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Walsingham (/ˈwɔːlsɪŋəm/) is a civil parish in North Norfolk, England, famous for its religious shrines in honour of Mary, mother of Jesus. It also contains the ruins of two medieval monastic houses.[1][2] Walsingham is 27 miles (43 km) northwest of Norwich.
Walsingham | |
---|---|
Common Place, Little Walsingham | |
Location within Norfolk | |
Area | 18.98 km2 (7.33 sq mi) |
Population | 819 (2011) |
• Density | 43/km2 (110/sq mi) |
OS grid reference | TF934368 |
• London | 118 miles |
Civil parish |
|
District | |
Shire county | |
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | WALSINGHAM |
Postcode district | NR22 |
Dialling code | 01328 |
Police | Norfolk |
Fire | Norfolk |
Ambulance | East of England |
UK Parliament | |
52.89385°N 0.87357°E / 52.89385; 0.87357 |
The civil parish includes Little Walsingham and Great Walsingham, together with Egmere (a depopulated medieval village at grid reference TF 897 374), and has an area of 18.98 km². At the 2011 census, it had a population of 819.[3][4]
Walsingham is a major centre of pilgrimage. In 1061, according to the Walsingham legend, an Anglo-Saxon noblewoman, Richeldis de Faverches, had a vision of the Virgin Mary in which she was instructed to build a replica of the house of the Holy Family in Nazareth in honour of the Annunciation. When it was built, the Holy House in Walsingham was panelled with wood and contained a wooden statue of an enthroned Virgin Mary with the child Jesus seated on her lap. Among its relics was a phial reputedly of the Virgin's milk. Walsingham became one of northern Europe's great places of pilgrimage and remained so through the remainder of the Middle Ages, with a revival in the 20th century.