St. Bridget of Sweden (1303–1373) was a Swedish noblewoman, mother of eight children (one of whom became St. Catherine of Sweden), and lady-in-waiting to the Swedish queen. After her husband's death in 1344 she received a profound vision of the crucified Christ that began the great cycle of visions which would continue for the rest of her life: the Revelations (Revelationes), preserved in seven volumes plus a supplementary book of celestial revelations.
She founded the Bridgettine Order (Ordo Sanctissimi Salvatoris) in 1346 and spent the last 24 years of her life in Rome — pressing for the return of the Papacy from Avignon. Her visions of the Passion shaped medieval art profoundly: the depiction of the Nativity with the Christ Child naked on the ground and rays of light emanating from him, the Crucifixion with the Christ in extreme distress and the precise number of his wounds and blows — both came from Bridget's recorded visions. Canonised in 1391; declared a co-patroness of Europe by John Paul II in 1999.