The most celebrated saint of Sweden and daughter of Birger Persson, governor of Uppland and one of the richest landowners of the country.

IBirgitta’s saintly and charitable life  made her known far and wide; she gained, too, great religious influence over her husband, with whom (1341–1343) she went on pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela.

In 1344, shortly after their return, Ulf died in the Cistercian monastery of Alvastra in Östergötland, and Birgitta now devoted herself wholly to religion.  It was at about this time that she founded the Order of St. Saviour, or the Bridgettines. 

In 1350, she went to Rome, partly to obtain papal authorization of the new order, and partly to puruse her self-imposed mission to elevate the moral tone of the age. It was not until 1370 that Pope Urban V confirmed the rule of her order, but meanwhile Birgitta had made herself universally beloved in Rome. Apart for her frequent  pilgrimages, including one to Jerusalem in 1373, she remained in Rome until her death on July 23, 1373. She was originally buried at San Lorenzo in Panisperna but was later moved to Sweden. She was canonized in the year 1391 by Pope Boniface IX, and confirmed by the Council of Constance in 1415.