Saint Brigit of Kildare is one of Ireland’s patron saints along with Patrick and Columba. Her name is also variously spelled as Brigid, Bridget, Bridgit, Bríd, and Bride and is sometimes also known as Mary of the Gael. Irish hagiography makes her an early Irish Christian nun, abbess, and founder of several monasteries of nuns, including that of Kildare in Ireland, which was considered legendary and was highly revered. The St. Brigid cross is a symbol of spring in Ireland. The cross, traditionally made of woven reeds or straw, was believed to protect a household from evil. It is thought that St. Brigid wove a cross like this to demonstrate Christianity to the pagan Celts. Her feast day is 1 February, formerly celebrated as the Imbolc quarter day of the pagan Irish year, which marked the beginning of spring.
