Who Is Julian of Norwich?

Our Church

Julian of Norwich Anglican Church Ottawa was established in 2015 in response to an amalgamation of two existing congregations coming together for ministry renewal.

Our Namesake

Julian of Norwich was an English Christian mystic, philosopher and theologian.

During her early life, the Black Death hit the city of Norwich three times. It is estimated that the plague killed about a third of England’s population in one single epidemic. People died so quickly and in such numbers that “the dead could not receive proper burial and in the worst of times, lay stacked in carts like so much cordwood, or in hastily dug pits on the edge of town, or simply where they fell, in the streets”. [Pelphrey, B (1989), Christ Our Mother: Julian of Norwich, Michael Glazier, p.65.] Seeing these images may have affected Julian, who was just six years old when the plague first hit Norwich. Although she does not speak of the plague directly, her book shows a deep sensitivity to suffering and dying.

Julian had a series of visions, which she wrote down, and spent her life elaborating upon. The photo depicts a statue of Julian of Norwich, holding the book, Revelations of Divine Love, at Norwich Cathedral.

Shortly after the shewings, Julian wrote what is known as the Short Text. The text is written from an autobiographical perspective, as Julian essentially narrates what she had just experienced.
Over the next 20 years, Julian reflected on her experience and the result was what is known as the Long Text.