Julian of Norwich (c. 1343–c. 1416) was an English mystic. Very few details are known about her life. In May 1373, when she was around thirty years of age, she was stricken by a disease and nearly died. While she was battling the illness, she experienced sixteen visions of Jesus Christ. Recovering, she vowed to dedicate her life to God. For the rest of her life, she was an anchoress, a woman who took a vow to live confined to a small cell in a church (in this case St. Julian’s Church in Norwich, Norfolk) and spend her time in prayer and contemplation. She also served her community as a respected spiritual authority and advisor. She wrote an account of her visions, Revelations of Divine Love, shortly after her actual spiritual experience, and over time she expanded the text into a longer book of devotions by the same name.