Beneath this seemingly ordinary exterior lies a story of faith. It involves thousands of virgins and a surprising amount of bones. I am talking about St. Ursula.
St. Ursula’s tale is quite suspect. Even the Church once admitted its doubt. They removed her feast day from the calendar in 1969. However a great story is still a great story.
The story of St. Ursula likely began with a 9th-century sermon. It expanded local lore about a Romano-British princess. She supposedly died around 383. Ursula was betrothed to a pagan prince. Before marrying she insisted on a 3-year tour. She wanted to visit European holy sites. This included a pilgrimage to Rome. She would take five, eight, or eleven virginal ladies-in-waiting. At the tour’s end she arrived in Cologne. There, the Huns martyred her and her entourage.
Many versions of this story exist. They change her origin and her destinations. Miraculous details sometimes appear. These include crossing seas in a day. Visions of martyrdom also occur. Angel-sherpas even guide them in the Alps. Historians can’t confirm Ursula’s existence. Nor can they verify the Pope she supposedly visited in Rome. Even contemporary historians doubted the tale.
The story took a bizarre turn around 922. The eleven virgins became 11000. The Bishop of Cologne mistranslated a Latin abbreviation. “XI. M.V.” became “undecim millia virgines” instead of “undecim martyres virgines.” Eleven virgin-martyrs transformed into eleven thousand virgins. The story improved and stuck.
They accidentally invented more martyrs. There are over 30 tons of human bones on display across Europe. These bones allegedly belong to these virgins. Cologne even features the Golden Room in the Basilica of St. Ursula. Bones line every wall there. Skulls reside in golden reliquaries. Local lore explains the presence of men’s and children’s bones. In 1835, a surgeon was run out of town. He suggested some bones might be from mastiffs. Clearly they don’t believe in letting the truth stop a great story.
Paintings depict Ursula’s story. One Northern Renaissance painting shows her martyrdom. Huns slaughter Ursula and her 11000 companions. Ursula was a pious daughter of a Christian King. She was promised to a pagan Prince. This was in exchange for his conversion to Christianity. She wanted to make a pilgrimage to Rome first. She would be accompanied by 11000 virgins. They sailed to Cologne and then overland to Rome. On their return, they met the Huns besieging Cologne. Ursula refused to marry their leader. Thus she and her companions were martyred.
The story grew from a Latin inscription in Cologne’s St. Ursula church. Around 400 AD it said a man restored a ruined church. It was dedicated to local virgin martyrs. It lacked details of their identities or deaths.
Embellishments arose over centuries. One version casts Ursula as a Cornish princess. She sailed to Brittany for marriage with 11000 maidens and 60000 serving women.
In 1969, the Roman Catholic Church reformed its calendar. Saints lacking evidence were removed. St. Ursula was among them. Despite this, the memory of those martyred lives on in Ursula’s legends.
Even though there is doubt about her story, St. Ursula remains a symbol of faith. She stands for steadfastness. She inspires countless people around the world.