Ritual site - holy well

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated on a level landscape and just 8m NW of the NE-SW R739 Wexford town to Kilmore Quay road. It is marked on the 1839 and 1940 eds of the OS 6-inch map and described in gothic lettering on both as St. Catherine’s Well. It is a rectangular feature (dims 1.15m x 1.1m; D 1.45m) defined by a concrete wall open on one side, and has water (D 0.7m) with an overflow pipe. A whitethorn tree stands over it, but there is no evidence of veneration. St. Catherine’s chapel (WX047-016001-) is c. 220m to the NNW,
The saint is probably St. Catherine of Alexandria. She was a 4th century savant who converted some pagan philosophers. When persecuted on a rack the wheels miraculously fell off the machine – hence she is always represented with a wheel. Eventually she was burned by her persecutors. Her remains were discovered in Egypt in the 8th century and miraculously translated to Mt. Sinai where her monastery continues to this day. Some of her relics came to Europe in the 11th century resulting in the popularisation of her cult. In 1969 she was removed from the Calendar by the Roman Catholic Church, but she was restored in 2002. (Butler, Rev. A 1883, 169)

Compiled by: Michael Moore

Date of upload: 18 October, 2013
Amended: 14 January, 2014

References

Butler, Rev. A. 1883 Lives of the Saints. J. S. Virtue London and Dublin, Reprint (1990) London. Studio Editions (Abridged)