St Julian's Church, Norwich

Visitors descended from across England to receive holy counsel from Lady Julian during a time of national upheaval, at a place that continues to salve the souls of pilgrims today.

Highlights

• Lady Julian’s anchorite cell

Lady Julian’s very identity was absorbed into the fabric of this ancient church, so wholehearted was her embrace of God. We only know her under the name of the church’s patron, St Julian. A famous mystic and writer from the 14th century, she lived here as an anchoress, walled up in a little cell on the south side of the building. The cell has been rebuilt as a side chapel, a shrine in her memory. It is a serene and contemplative place to reflect on the startling insights Lady Julian of Norwich handed down in her famous book Revelations of Divine Love. The chapel has a place to light candles before a stone crucifix. It is open daily to all visitors.

Lady Julian’s original cell was destroyed after the Reformation. By a bizarre twist of history, we have the second world war to thank for its reinstatement. The church was bombed by the Luftwaffe on one of their infrequent raids over Norwich. Miraculously both the carved reredos from Oberammergau and the Tabernacle (which contains the Blessed Sacrament) somehow survived the church’s destruction. Their survival, coupled with the fame of Lady Julian, inspired the church to rebuild. In doing so, they discovered the foundations of what must have been her actual cell and decided to build a shrine chapel in the same place.

Anchorite’s cells were rooms built into the walls of the church, with just three small windows to communicate with the outside world. What is most remarkable about Lady Julian is the enthusiasm with which she used her confinement to expand her spiritual horizons. At the time England was mired in despair and suffering, ravaged by the Black Death, famine, and the violent suppression of the Peasants’ Revolt. From her enclosed world, Lady Julian handed out words of dazzling optimism. She found it hard to believe that anyone could go to hell, for example, since every person must carry some small spark of divine nature. People came from across the country to consult with her through one of the tiny windows.

St Julian’s Church works tirelessly to keep her memory and message alive. The Julian Centre next to the church has a bookshop selling titles linked to Lady Julian, along with icons and other devotional objects. A small convent is situated next to the church.

Lady Julian’s book is the first written in English by a woman. It is based on 16 visions that she received aged 30, during a life-threatening illness. The visions relate mainly to Christ’s suffering and Crucifixion, and to the Virgin Mary. Having reflected on their meaning for another 20 to 30 years, she wrote them all down towards the end of the 14th century.

Among the most famous passages is her contemplation of a hazelnut in the palm of her hand. From the perspective of a loving creator, she perceives three properties:

The first is that God made it, the second is that God loves it, the third that God keeps it.

Another famous saying is: “All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well” (chapter 27). For some reason the memorial panel in her shrine chapel edits this and removes the second ‘and all shall be well’. St Julian uses language thoughtfully, and her formula sounds deliberately Trinitarian to me.

All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well

Lady Julian is usually referred to as Blessed by the Catholic church, even though she has not been formally beatified. Beatification is the third of four steps towards sainthood, the final step being canonisation. The Anglican church lacks a formal structure for naming saints, but she is listed among them in the lectionary. An icon of Lady Julian was displayed in the church in 2019, clearly depicting her as a saint. She died around the year 1420 and is remembered on 8 May in the Anglican church and 13 May in the Catholic.

Directions

St Julian’s Church, St Julian’s Alley, Rouen Road, Norwich NR1 1QT

W3W: enjoy.income.backs

GPS: 52.6249N 1.3006E.

Norwich railway station 500m.

St Julian’s church is on St Julian’s Alley, which is off Rouen Road. It is open every day. The alley is on the left-hand side, about 400m from Norwich Castle as you walk downhill.