The dutch 'Struell Wells'

The Dutch “Struell Wells” Lisa Winters A few weeks ago I visited Northern Ireland for a Summer University course. I chose to learn more about heritage, and thus one day we went on a daytrip to see some of that heritage out in the country. We visited Inch Abbey, Down Cathedral and St. Patrick’s grave, Kilcliff Castle, and the finally the Struell Wells. I had read up on the history of the wells the day before, and it contained everything I have been interested in for a while now. Mainly this meant the Christianization of a pagan sacred place. The heritage sites we saw that day, in particular the Struell Wells, left an imprint on me. I started to wonder if in my home country, the Netherlands, they also had these kinds of Christianized pagan wells. I had been looking for my interest in other countries, but was it possible it had been right there in my own country all along? I formed these thoughts into one main research question: Do the Netherlands have any holy/sacred wells like the Struell Wells in Northern Ireland? To answer this I first had to find different aspects of the Struell Wells to compare the Dutch wells to. I decided on four different aspects: The pagan background, the Christianization, the use by the Christians and its role in present everyday life. I’ll start by telling the history of the Struell Wells and after that I’ll introduce the wells I’ve found in the Netherlands. Then I’ll compare these Dutch wells on each of the four different parts to the Struell wells, finishing this paper with a conclusion. The Struell Wells Like I said before, I will start this comparison by giving you something to compare things to: The pagan and Christian history of the Struell Wells themselves. I’m talking in plural here, for the site is now made up of two wells, as well as two connected bathhouses and the remnants of a chapel. The written history of the wells begins with a 9th century poem in which is described how St. Patrick bathed naked in the well while singing psalms, and afterwards rested on a stone on the site. McCormick, F. ‘Struell Wells’. A Lecale Review Monograph No 1 (2011): p. 14 “9th Century poem” We do not know how accurate this was, but it had a great influence on the rituals taking place at the well, where pilgrims mimicked St. Patrick’s movements. The recorded history of the wells start from the 16th century onwards, when the rituals and customs surrounding the wells were first written down. This earliest record only describes pilgrims kneeling under a water stream falling down upon them, and saying a ‘Pater Noster’ or ‘Ave Maria’. McCormick: p. 14/15 “16th Century bishop’s letter” There is a later description from 1683, detailing a pilgrimage that likely took place in the 1640s. It says that no less than three to four hundred pilgrims gather there every Midsummer Eve to wash their naked bodies and drink from the well while saying their ‘pater noster’. After the bathing, they crawled up the hill on their knees to St. Patrick’s chair, the flagstone on which St. Patrick supposedly had rested after bathing in the well himself. You can see that this is strongly based on St. Patrick’s own rituals. In 1802 the first and only account of violence regarding the wells was recorded in a diary, saying that there had been ‘a fight at Struel between Protestants and Catholicks,  two or three of the latter shot dead’. Pilson, A. Unpublished Diary. 1802. McCormick: p. 17 “18th Century description of a visit to the site” In the early 19th century one thousand pilgrims visited the wells at midsummer, accompanied by at least as many spectators. There was a whole festival surrounding the wells for up to one and a half weeks, with priests attending as well as lay folk. Whiskey could be bought at the festival, and there was a whole range of entertainment available. They felt that as long as they stayed on the site, they could not obtain new sin. McCormick: p. 18 “19th Century description of the pilgrims’ rituals” Not long after however, the Roman Catholic Church forbade the rituals at Struell, because of the naked communal bathing, seen as something heathen. McCormick: p. 23 “19 Century Ordnance Survey report” The pilgrimages stayed active for a while, but the number of people drastically fell. In the second half of the 19th century the custom of pilgrimages to the Struell Wells had died out McCormick: p. 28 “19th Century newspaper reports”, though it remained a place for individuals to go for healing. Up until present day people do still visit the wells looking for its curing power, but it’s not a place of ritual and annual celebration anymore. The Struell Wells have become part of the ‘Saint Patrick’s Trail’, a series of monuments and places associated with St. Patrick. It has thus transformed from a place of pilgrimage to a heritage site for tourists to visit, though it still upholds its reputation of having healing powers. Of the pagan background, there is not much reported. However, the communal bathing at midsummer’s eve is nonexistent at other holy wells in Ireland. This strongly suggests that the practice must have started elsewhere: in pre-Christian times. This is backed up by the account of St. Patrick bathing in the well, for it was customary that he went to pagan wells to convert them to Christianity using ritual and prayer. The wells in the Netherlands There are a few holy wells (called a put, in Dutch) left scattered throughout the Netherlands today, though they are not that easy to find; most of the histories are lost. The most interesting wells I found were the two wells in the city of Heiloo, namely the Wilibrordusput and the Runxputte. I will touch on both to get an idea of holy wells in the Netherlands, taking them as examples since they are the ones we know most about. This is mostly thanks to the archives there taking a great interest in all the old texts referring to the area. The Runxputte has history with a lot of holes in it. We know there was a well, established in 1713 next to a chapel, through an article in a newspaper from that year. http://www.ijpelaan.nl/Archief/Kennemerland/Plaats-Heiloo-Runxputte.html#N38 (visited 3-8-’15 – 3-9-‘15) Before this date, nothing is sure about the well and the miracles surrounding the well and the church. The myths surrounding the well in the time of pilgrimages in the 17th and 18th century said that Maria had appeared in the ruins of the chapel next to the well. This came into existence when people saw a Maria apparition in a painting from 1630, though to most it’s hard to see anything in it. This painting was copied a lot, filling the empty space in the ruin with an actual Maria and child. There are other myths surrounding this well too, hinting that a Norman king Rorik arrived in Heiloo and established the Rorikesput. This myth was however only associated with the Runxputte from the 19th century onwards. There is still a debate doing on if the names ‘Osdenne’ and ‘Rorikesput’ mentioned in a 10th century text Vis, G.N.M. Vita Sancti Adalberti Confessoris (Den Haag: Martinus Nijhoff, 1987), p. 55-57 about Rorik were indeed referring to Oesdom (part of Heiloo) and the Runxputte. The pilgrimages to the well in the 18th century consisted of more than fivehundred Catholics, going on a processions through the city towards the well, and drinking from it.7 The well and it’s healing powers soon became famous in the surrounding cities, though this was not well liked by the authoroties: The Netherlands were a protestant country, and the Catholic customs were against the law. The groups going to the Runxputte were however too large to keep away from the the well, untill in 1768 when Protestants dugg out the hill and planted new folliage.7 People kept going to the site anually, up untill in 1830, when the Catholic church itself forbade people from going there because of ‘abuse on the site, it had almost become a farmers’ market’. http://www.ijpelaan.nl/Archief/Kennemerland/Plaats-Heiloo-Runxputte.html#N38 (visited 3-8-’15 – 3-9-‘15) Translation by Lisa Winters The actuall history thus started in 1713, and from that point on people started to search for the history and mythologies behind their sacred place, ecpecially in the 19th century. Thanks to this, the well is also associated with the “pagan” king Rorik. There was never any proof for a Christianization of the well, not even proof there actually was a well before 1713. Nowadays the well has been built up again, and people still visit there to get water. It is mostly popular in more holistic spiritualities, with a lot of people visiting just for the power that the water allegdedly held. The site is still visited by Catholics, though mostly for the chapel and the Maria Statue, not so much for the well. The chapel as well as the well are added to the list of ‘rijksmonumenten’, marking it as a heritage site. Next I want to compile a short history of the Willibrordusput. The first document regarding the well dates back to about 1346. This was the ‘Chronographia’ of Jan Beke, which contained statements from people living in the area on the existence of a Willibrord well in ‘Heylighelo’ http://www.meertens.knaw.nl/bedevaart/bol/plaats/309 (visited 3-8-’15 – 3-9-‘15). Just like with the Runxputte, there is a supposed history dating further back. The legend says that St. Willibrord and his eleven companions arrived in Heiloo very thirsty, and thus (and of this part there are several versions) dugg a hole in the ground which flooded with water after a prayer to God.10 This alledgedly started the first parochiechapel in the village. After the death of the saint in 739, the worship would have started, with pilgrimages to Heiloo. There are however no records of this at all, though it is known that St. Willibrord was indeed worshipped a lot in that period. Documentation of real worship and pilgrimages start in 1656, with a discription of pilgrimages to the well to get water for the sick and feverish.10 In the 18th century, more of these stories start to arrive on paper. In this period there was an influence back and forth between this well and the Runxputte. The ‘'t Hylo-er Ryskaartje’ (Heiloo’s travelmap) from 1704 names the Willibrordusput, though the map was meant for pilgrims going to the chapel of ‘Onze Lieve Vrouw ter Nood’.10 There were archeological finds dating back to the 18th century as well, highlighting the bond between the two wells: pilgrim’s medals with on one side the Maria statue in Heiloo and on the other side St. Willibrord with the chapel in the background. http://www.meertens.knaw.nl/bedevaart/bol/plaats/309 (visited 3-8-’15 – 3-9-‘15) In the 19th century pilgrimages were often combined, and were carried out in larger groups, untill 1830, when the Mariapilgrimages were put to an end.11 The worship of Willibrord continued, with people seeking the healing water, up untill at least 1839.11 Some time after that, the well must have been on the decline for in 1872 there was a paper published about old places of devotion in the area, containing both the Willibrordusput and the Runxputte.11 The worship of Willibrord continued in the 20th century but the place was no longer a destination for pilgrims. Nowadays, it’s a cultural and historical heritage site, sometimes used for special occations regarding the chuch. Few still visit the site for personal worship or healing, though the well has been reconstructed. The well is however sometimes visited by neopagans and people with holistic, nature based beliefs, just like with the Runxputte. Comparison Now that we know the histories and stories surrounding these wells, I will start my comparison between the Struell wells and the wells in Heiloo. As I mentioned before I will do this for the pagan background, the Christianization, the use by the Christians and its role in present everyday life. Starting with the pagan background, there is not much to go on. For none of the wells there are primary sources on the wells having a pagan background, such as archeological finds like sculptures of pagan gods or texts describing pagan practices at the wells. Both the Struell Wells and the Runxputte have a mythology suggesting pagan roots or influence, but only the one at Struell Wells has an actual source and tradition, having pagan practices shine through in their rituals. The Runxputte only added the mythology hinting to pagan influence in the 19th century, making it impossible to have a tradition. The Willibrordusput doesn’t have a pagan background at all, but was established by a Christian Saint. This brings us to the point of Christianization. This was very important for the Struell wells because this was the start of the pilgrimages, and dictates the rituals around the wells. Christianization didn’t play a part in either of the Dutch wells. The Runxputte might hint to pagan influence, but we only have a record of a well from 1713 onwards, this one established by prayer. This well thus started as a Christian well, just like the Willibrordusput. There is more to be said about the Christian use of the wells, though the Struell Wells have a longer tradition than the wells in Heiloo. The most outstanding differences however are in the rituals performed around the wells, and the attitude of the authorities. The rituals around the Struell Wells were extensive, with at the high point a total of two thousand visitors. The rituals were also more specific and had a distinct tradition, setting the well apart from others. The pilgrimages around the wells in Heiloo are more basic, with mostly just drinking from the well, though there are annual processions. A similarity in this is that the Struell Wells and the Runxputte both had festivities on the site that didn’t have much to do with Christian beliefs, the Struell Wells having a one and a half week festival, the Runxputte being compared to a farmers’ market. They are also all known for their healing power, but this is common in holy wells. The attitude of authorities is a greater difference, and could be a reason for the different lengths of popularity and the number of visitors. At the Struell Wells there is only one record of violence between a protestant group and a catholic group; even though the Protestants probably didn’t like the practice, they didn’t do anything to stop it. This can be explained by the fact that Protestants were outnumbered in this fight. In the Netherlands, the situation was different. Catholicism was banned from 1648-1795, which meant that the worshipping of wells and saints was against the law. This lead to a lot of confrontations between Catholics and Protestants during processions, and eventually also lead to the closing of the Runxputte. It is also very possible that a lot of historical written sources as well as paintings and other material evidence were destroyed by the Protestants during this time, as destroying Catholic iconography was not uncommon then. To end the comparison I will look at everyday use of the wells now. All of the wells have been added to some sort of heritage list, marking it as important in history or culture. They are also still visited by devotees of Catholic beliefs as well as more holistic spiritual beliefs, though this is not regular worship. Conclusion At the beginning I asked myself the question if there would be any wells like the Struell Wells in the Netherlands. It turns out there are quite some holy wells left in the Netherlands, but none of them really have the same long and detailed history as the Struell Wells. The two wells that popped up most prominently in my research were the Runxputte and the Willibrordusput, both situated in Heiloo. I looked at these in more detail and found that these wells were more or less ‘created’ in the 17th/18th century, for there is no real proof of the wells and worship before that. The myths surrounding those wells now are from even later times. Even in the arguments of the priests in that time writing about the earlier history, there are no real sources named, the texts they quoted never found. The Struell Wells are mostly known for their great history of St. Patrick Christianizing the Wells, his ritual becoming the ritual for the pilgrims after him, whereas the wells in Heiloo never really had known stories about pagan use or Christianization. This also means that the rituals performed at the wells in Heiloo were standard, not taken from their own past. The Struell Wells also have a gap in history, but 16th century rituals were already linked to the myths. That link does not exist at the Dutch wells. It is interesting to see that, even though the histories are so different and Struell Wells were a lot more popular, the wells are all being treated similar in present day life. So to answer my question, no, there aren’t any wells like the Struell Wells in the Netherlands. Or more precise: we don’t have any evidence that there are. A lot of documents and evidence could be lost forever, destroyed when Catholicism was against the law. It is however also true that there never was a lot of research on wells in the Netherlands. There could be evidence for a Christianized pagan well that had a long and distinctive Christian tradition just waiting to be found.  Bibliography Articles McCormick, F. ‘Struell Wells’. A Lecale Review Monograph No 1 (2011) McCormick, F. ‘Struell Wells: pagan past and Christian present’. JRSAI No. 139 (2009): 45-62 Books Vis, G.N.M. Vita Sancti Adalberti Confessoris. Den Haag: Martinus Nijhoff, 1987 Internet www.ijpelaan.nl (Ijpelaan Archives) http://www.meertens.knaw.nl/cms/nl/ (Research institute) Both of these sites use many direct quotations or translations from older documents, and everything stated has a source.