Dymphna was born in the seventh century to a Christian mother and a pagan father who ruled over a part of Ireland. Dymphna took to the Christian faith, consecrating herself to Christ and taking a vow of chastity at age 14. Her mother died not long after this dedication, and her father, King Damon – having loved his wife deeply – experienced a rapid deterioration of his mental health.

The king’s advisors suggested he remarry, which he agreed to do if a woman as beautiful as his former wife could be found. But when his messengers searched all throughout the land for a noblewoman who resembled his beloved and would consent to marriage, none could be found – none except his own daughter, who looked just like her late mother. The advisors then suggested that the king marry his own daughter. Blinded by grief and illness, King Damon agreed to the arrangement.

Dymphna, however, would not consent. Determined to keep her vow to Christ, she refused the union and fought off her father’s advances. Dymphna fled the court with her confessor, Gerebran, sought refuge in Belgium and stayed in a town now known as Geel.

Desperate, the king followed their trail, and upon locating them, he ordered Dymphna’s traveling companions to be killed and sought to force his daughter to return to Ireland with him. Dymphna held fast to her refusal, enraging her father to the point of drawing his sword and beheading her.

Dymphna was celebrated as a martyr for defending her purity and became known as the “Lily of Éire.” A church was built in Geel in honor of St. Dymphna, where many pilgrims sought healing and treatment for their mental illnesses, venerating the saint due to her struggle with her father’s deteriorating mental health. This created a tradition where the townspeople opened their homes to the mentally ill and cared for them as part of the community – a tradition which continues even to this day.