St Dymphna: The Tragedy of an Irish Princess

Fascinating exhibition at the National Gallery of Ireland of a recently restored altarpiece for the Irish saint St Dymphna.

The triptych, in eight panels, is owned by the Phoebus Foundation in Belgium and tells the story  Dymphna, a legendary 6th or 7th century Irish saint was the daughter of a Celtic king with quite a complex story.

The work is by Goossen van der Weyden, grandson of the famous Roger, and all the panels were shown at eye level so you could really appreciate the details. At some point in the story Dymphna fled Ireland with her jester and his wife and I loved the depiction of them.

There was an excellent video with told the saints story and the story of the altarpiece itself. It also told the story of Geel in Belgium the town where where Dymphna was martyred with her confessor. As she is the patron saint of mental illness it became a centre for its healing and it remains so today with patients being supported in the homes of families.

Closed 28 May 2023


 

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