Who's Who in Medieval History
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Also spelled: Brigid or Bridget
Brigit is believed to have been born to a noble family in County Louth. Determined to remain a virgin and devote her life to God, she refused several offers of marriage and became a nun, founding the first nunnery in Ireland on land in Kildare given to her by the King of Leinster (who may have been her father, according to some versions of her legend). The community at Kildare became a double monastery, of which Brigit was the Abbess. She is also said to have founded several other nunneries and a school of art, and is reputed to have performed miracles.
We have virtually no information about Brigit from contemporary sources, and it has been theorized that she is either a fictionalized Christian version of the Celtic goddess Brigit or that some of the traits of the goddess have been transferred to a little-known but real historical figure.
