Daughter of a pagan Irish chieftain named Damon, and a beautiful devoted Christian woman. Her mother died when Dymphna was fourteen.
Her father became mentally afflicted by the loss of his wife, so he went in search of a woman to replace her. Not having found anyone, he decided to marry Dymphna. She fled in fear with St. Gerebran who was her confessor and with two other friends.
Her father was furious and went to search for her, when he found them in Belgium, he ordered that the priest was beheaded, then on being rejected by his daughter he struck off her head. She died instantly, she was fifteen then.
The site where she died is known for its miraculous healings of the insane and possessed. There is now a well-known institution on the site, and her relics are reported to cure insanity and epilepsy. She is the Patroness of the mentally ill.
The
Work of God Apostolate
www.theworkofgod.org