BRIDGET, BIRGITTA, OF SWEDEN, SAINT (c. 1302-1373), the most famous saint of the northern kingdoms, was the daughter of Birger Persson, governor and provincial judge of Uppland. In 1316 she married Ulf Gudmarson, lord of Nericia, and of her eight children, one became St. Catherine of Sweden. About 1342 she went with her husband on pilgrimage to St. James of Compostella, but shortly after their return, Ulf died in the Cistercian monastery of Alvastra and Bridget, already fa mous for her saintly and charitable life, devoted herself wholly to religion. The spiritual impressions which she had experienced in her childhood now became more frequent, and her records of them, translated into Latin by Matthias, canon of Linkoping, and by her confessor, Peter, prior of Alvastra, obtained a great vogue during the middle ages. She founded the order of St. Saviour, or Bridgittines (q.v.), of which the principal house, at Vadstena, was richly endowed by King Magnus II. and his queen. About 1350 she went to Rome, partly to obtain from the pope the authorization of the new order, partly in pursu ance of her desire to elevate the moral tone of the age. It was not till 1370 that Urban V. confirmed the rule of her order; but meanwhile Bridget had made herself universally beloved in Rome. Save for occasional pilgrimages, including one to Jerusalem in she remained in Rome till her death on July She was canonized in 1391 by Boniface IX.
BIBLIOGRAPHY.—The Revelations were published several times, the Bibliography.—The Revelations were published several times, the best edition being that of G. E. Klemming (1857-84) (Eng. trans. 1873). Cf. the Bollandist Acta Sanctorum, Oct. 8, the Vita Sanctae Brigittae, ed. by C. Annerstedt in Scriptores rerum Suedicarum medii aevi, iii. 185-244 (Uppsala, 1871) ; de Flavigny, Sainte Brigitte de Suede, sa vie, ses revelations et son oeuvre (1892) ; Binder: Die hl. Birgitta von Schweden u. ihr Klosterorden (Munich, 1891) . For full bibliography see Chevalier, Repertoire des sources hist. Bio.-Bibl.