St Mildred's Church - St Mildred

St Mildred was the daughter of Merewald, King of Mercia, and Ermenburga, (sometimes known as Domneva) a Princess of Kent. She was sent to Celles near Paris, for her education and on her return, joined her mother in the Convent at Minster and later succeeded her as Abbess. Mildred was known for her tranquillity and generosity to the poor. She died after a long illness sometime in the early 700s and her tomb in Minster became a place of pilgrimage.

Later there was a controversy over her relics. These were said to been acquired by both Archbishop Lanfranc (1069-1083) for St Gregory's Priory, and by the monks of St Augustine's Abbey. There may have been a church on this site since the early Saxon period, but the first written mention of it is in reference to a dispute between Archbishop Lanfranc and the monks of St Augustine's Abbey over the appointment of a new Abbot. The Monks were not happy with his choice. Some were imprisoned in the castle and others left the Abbey congregating, as the reference states, by St Mildred's Church. However, at the end of the day they were cold and hungry, and so returned to the Abbey and accepted the new Abbot!

St Mildred is often shown with a deer, or hind. Her mother was given land on the Isle of Thanet, as compensation (danegeld) for the murder of her two brothers, Ethelred and Ethelbricht, by their uncle, Egbert of Kent. According to legend, the grant was for as much land as a hind could cover in a day! The image of St Mildred and the Banner by the Altar were both designed by Mother Concordia, a recent Abbess of Minster.