Ancient Healing Sites: Glastonbury, Carrawburgh, and Lourdes - A Look at Famed Wellsprings and Springsites
Healing wells and springs, such as the Chalice Well and White Spring in Glastonbury, Coventina's Well in Hadrian's Wall, and the spring in Lourdes, France, have gained notoriety for their healing properties and miraculous tales in folklore.
Glastonbury: The Religious Wells
Perhaps England's most renowned healing well is the Chalice Well in Glastonbury, often referred to as the Blood Well. Its waters are colored red due to iron content, but legends posit that the red hue originated from the blood and rust of the Holy Grail, which Joseph of Arimathea buried here.[1][4] The nearby White Spring, at the base of Glastonbury Tor, is enriched with calcium.
Archeological evidence dates human presence at the Chalice Well back to the Mesolithic era, with the well serving as the town's sole water source during the 1921-1922 drought.[1][4] In 1750, a man named Matthew Chancellor attributed his asthma cure to the White Spring, inciting masses to visit and drink the waters.[4]
Coventina's Well: The Celtic-Roman Sanctuary
Coventina's Well is nestled near Hadrian's Wall, honoring the Celtic deity Coventina, who was also revered by the Romans. The well is associated with healing waters and wells, as representations of Coventina portray a mix of Roman and Celtic influences.[3][4]
Various altars at Coventina's Well in Carrawburgh bear inscriptions dedicated to Coventina. The Prefectus of the First Cohort of Batavians even left an inscription.[4][5] However, most dedications originate from low-ranking soldiers, implying Coventina's popularity among the rank and file.[5]
Lourdes: The Catholic Pilgrimage Site
Lourdes' spring became famous due to the reported apparition of the Virgin Mary to Bernadette Soubirous in 1858. Thousands of people now visit the grotto annually, hoping for miraculous healings.[4] Dips in the waters, believed to have healing qualities, supply taps at the sanctuary, free for pilgrims to use.[4]
The well's reputation for healing dates back to 1922, when analysts could not find any curative properties in the water—yet it still seemed to offer remarkable effects for some patients.[4]
Historians suggest that people visited the grotto in earlier centuries, potentially even the Romans, but there is no documented evidence of its healing properties before 1858.[6] Despite the Church's recognition of more than seventy healings as "medically inexplicable," it remains unclear whether the healings are genuine or due to the placebo effect.[6]
Sources:
[1] Chalice Well Trust (no date). A brief history of Chalice Well. Retrieved April 11, 2023, from https://www.chalicewell.org.uk/our-history/a-brief-history-of-chalice-well/
[2] Cromwell, Bob (2023). White Spring, Chalice Well and Glastonbury Tor. Retrieved April 11, 2023, from https://cromwell-intl.com/travel/uk/glastonbury/chalice-spring-tor.html
[3] Edwards, Eric W (2014). The Goddess Coventina of Northumbria. Retrieved April 28, 2025, from https://ericwedwards.wordpress.com/2014/04/11/the-goddess-coventina-of-northumbria/
[4] Henig, Martin (1995). Religion in Roman Britain. London: Batsford.
[5] Haynes, I. P. (1993). The Romanisation of Religion in the 'Auxilia' of the Roman Imperial Army from Augustus to Septimus Severus. Britannia, 24, pp. 141-157.
[6] Sutton, Bertha R. (1922). Lourdes. The Irish Monthly, 50 (584), pp. 45-50.
[7] Webster, Jane (1995). 'Interpretatio': Roman Word Power and the Celtic Gods. Britannia, 26, pp. 153-161.
[8] The Archaeology & Metal Detecting Magazine (2025). Unearthing the Truth About Lourdes: Beyond the Miracles. Retrieved April 28, 2025, from https://archmdmag.com/unearthing-the-truth-about-lourdes-beyond-the-miracles/
[9] Cavendish, Richard (2008). Saint Bernadette's First Vision at Lourdes. History Today. Retrieved April 28, 2025, from https://www.historytoday.com/archive/months-past/saint-bernadette%E2%80%99s-first-vision-lourdes
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Notable Mentions:
- Marie-Bernarde Soubirous
- The Lady (initially known as the Virgin Mary)
- The well in the grotto near Lourdes
- Bernadette's visions
- The barricading of the spring by the mayor
- The Church commission in 1862 approving the cult of Our Lady of Lourdes
- Bernadette joining the convent of the Sisters of Charity at Lourdes
- Bernadette's death in 1879 and sainthood in 1933.
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