History

The shrine

The first mention of a church on the site of St Candida and the Holy Cross was in 881 CE, when Alfred the Great built it to honour St Wite. Nothing remains of that original structure, but rebuilding was begun by Benedictine monks in 1190, when ownership was given to St Wandrille's monastery in Normandy, France, following the Norman Conquest. The earliest parts of the church date from this time.

In the 14th century Robert de Mandeville, Lord of Marshwood Vale, made extensive renovations to the church and Saint Wite’s shrine, as we have it today, was built into the north wall inside the church. At that time it was the norm for saintly reliquaries to be raised on bases, as is the case here. 

A Portland stone coffin, topped with a Purbeck marble slab, expensive materials at the time that communicated the importance of the relics, rests on a stone base, which has three almond-shaped apertures into which pilgrims placed diseased limbs for healing, or articles belonging to the sick. 

In 1900, after a harsh winter, a crack developed in the north wall. The refurbishment of the church walls dislocated the shrine, opening a fracture in the stone coffin. One end was removed to repair it, revealing a lead casket. This too was removed and as witnessed by a medical doctor, was found to contain the bones of a small woman, who had died aged about 40. 

The words ‘HIC-REQUECT-RLIQE-SCE-WITE’ (‘Here rest the remains of St Wite’) were inscribed on the lid. Everything was repaired and reassembled and Saint Wite continues to this day to lie in peace in the church.

One of the abiding mysteries of St Wite is how her shrine escaped desecration during the 16th century Reformation. In the upheaval of those times many sacred shrines and religious artefacts were destroyed and burned. 

Only the shrine of St Wite and the shrine of King Edward the Confessor in Westminster Abbey were undisturbed, meaning there is an unbroken connection with a deep history of pilgrimage to West Dorset. 

The pilgrimage as of today

The church of St Candida and the Holy Cross has been a site of pilgrimage for over a thousand years. The tradition of St Wite and the history of the place, with its shrine and well, has continued to have a particular emphasis on healing in the broadest sense of the word - in terms of restoring us to our true nature and to healthy balance in our relationships with others, the natural world and with God.

The pilgrimage experiences draw on the life of St Wite as the focus for the pilgrimage and her personal embodiment of both courageous action and sacred healing. 

Our routes literally follow in her footsteps, always with a visit to her shrine, in St Candida and the Holy Cross Church, in Whitchurch Canonicorum – renowned through the ages as a place of healing and renewal. 

Although her ministry was rooted in Christian spirituality, the activities and reflections we share will not be from any particular tradition and there will be plenty of time, space and encouragement to engage with the pilgrimage in and through your own spiritual way.