Wikipedia:Today's featured article/May 8, 2023

Julian of Norwich ( c. &thinsp;1343 – after 1416) was an English mystic and anchoress of the Middle Ages. She lived in the English city of Norwich. During her lifetime, the city suffered the devastating effects of the Black Death, the Peasants' Revolt, and the suppression of the Lollards. In 1373, believing she was on her deathbed, Julian received a series of visions ("shewings") of the Passion of Christ. She recovered and wrote two versions of her experiences. These, now known as Revelations of Divine Love, are the earliest surviving English-language works known to have been written by a woman, and the only surviving English-language works by an anchoress. Julian lived in permanent seclusion in her cell, which was attached to St Julian's Church, Norwich. Details of Julian's family, her education, or her life before becoming an anchoress are not known. Preferring to write anonymously, she was nevertheless influential in her lifetime.