Julian of Norwich

Why this icon

While researching online, I came across, ‘by chance’, a depiction of Julian of Norwich that caught my eye and made me want to learn more about her. Her name was familiar to me, but I knew little about her life and thought. Writing this icon became a journey of discovery into her spirituality.

About this icon

Julian of Norwich (1342–after 1416) was an English Christian mystic. In 1373, during a serious illness, she experienced visions which she later explored in her Revelations of Divine Love. She lived as an anchoress beside St Julian’s Church in Norwich: a life devoted to prayer, while also offering spiritual counsel to visitors.

She lived before the English Reformation and the break with Rome in the sixteenth century. Although she has not been formally beatified or canonised by the Catholic Church, her writings are valued by Catholics and Anglicans alike. Benedict XVI devoted a general audience to her in 2010. The halo in this image expresses the artist’s spiritual representation of Julian; it is not evidence of a Catholic canonisation.

The tiny object held between her fingers can be read as the “little thing” the size of a hazelnut described in her visions. Julian understood it to represent everything that has been created, sustained by God’s love. The starry circle around it gives this small object a cosmic dimension: the whole of creation, however fragile it seems, rests in that love.

The words All shall be well express the hope at the heart of her writings. They do not deny suffering or the mystery of evil, but invite trust in God’s love even when its fulfilment cannot yet be understood.

The small window with rays of light evokes her enclosed cell, where withdrawal from the world became a place of spiritual attentiveness. The cat brings a familiar, gentle presence to the composition. Often included in modern images of Julian, it should not be taken as proof that she herself owned one.

The deep blue veil, white folds and warm brown mantle create a quiet atmosphere around her inclined face. The golden halo illuminates this attentive presence. Together, these elements invite contemplation of a faith marked by trust, compassion and wonder at the smallest things.