St. Hilda of Whitby

November 17

Hilda of Whitby or Hild of Whitby is a Christian saint and the founding abbess of the monastery at Whitby, which was chosen as the venue for the Synod of Whitby. An important figure in the conversion of the Anglo-Saxons to Christianity, she was abbess at several monasteries and recognised for the wisdom that drew kings to her for advice. The source of information about Hilda is the Ecclesiastical History of the English People by Bede in 731, who was born approximately eight years before her death. He documented much of the Christian conversion of the Anglo-Saxons. She is remembered on November 17.