1. Исследовательский проект по английскому языку
Муниципальное автономное общеобразовательное учреждение «Средняя школа п.Угловка»
Исследовательский проект по английскому языку
«Holy springs and wells in
Great Britain»
Выполнила: Клынкина Арина обучающаяся 9 класса
Руководитель: Федорова Юлия Владимировна учитель английского языка

2. When I was in the 7th grade I took part in the competition which was called "Fatherland". In my work I told about holy wells in Russia and in my region. But after competition I thought whether there are holy wells in the other countries. As I prepare to English examination I have wanted to learn about holy wells in Great Britain.
The aim of my project is: 
to find out the information about holly springs and wells in Great Britain
Tasks:
to collect the necessary material about holly springs and wells in Great Britain;
to learn the history of these places;
to make the presentation;
to present the project to the class.

3. Holy springs and wells
A holy well or sacred spring is a spring or other small body of water revered in Christian context. The term holy well is commonly employed to refer to any water source of limited size ( not a lake or river, but including pools and natural springs and seeps), which has some significance in the folklore of the area where it is located, whether in the form of a particular name, an associated legend, the attribution of healing qualities to the water through the numinous presence of its guardian spirit or Christian saint, or a ceremony or ritual centred on the well site. In Christian legend, the water is often said to have been made to flow by the action of a saint.

4. Saint Winifred and her Holy Spring
St. Winifred, whose name in her own language was Gwenfrewi, was born in North Wales in the early seventh century, when Christendom was still whole, and many great saints where living on the British Isles. She was of noble lineage, a descendant of the early Welsh kings of Powys, and the only daughter of Tyfid, Lord of the townships of Holywell. Her mother’s brother was St. Beuno, Abbot of Clynnog Fawr in Gwynedd.

5. Already as a fifteen year old, St Winifred embraced a life of devotion and austerity, and would keep many night vigils in church. A charming and intellectually gifted girl, she grew in virtue and knowledge under the guidance of her uncle, St Beuno, and with her parents’ consent prepared to consecrate herself to God.

6. However, the neighbouring Prince Caradoc, who had learned of her beauty and gifts, came to her house to seek her hand in marriage. On arrival he found Winifred alone, her parents having gone early to Mass. Hearing of her resolution to live a consecrated life, the impassioned Prince besieged her with pleas, advances and threats. Terrified and protective of her innocence, the girl ran towards the church where St Beuno was celebrating Mass. The thwarted Caradoc followed her in a rage and, overtaking her on a slope, drew his sword and severed her head from her body. The head rolled down and on the spot where it rested, a spring gushed forth. As soon as this news reached him, St Beuno left the altar and found her head beside the spring. He carried it to the body, covered both with his cloak and returned to complete the Holy Sacrifice.

7. After Mass, kneeling beside the young girl’s body, St Beuno beseeched God in prayer and had the cloak removed. As if waking from a deep sleep, Winifred is said to have arisen with no sign of the decapitation apart from a faint white circle around her neck.

8. After St Winifred’s miraculous return to life and the simultaneous appearance of a new spring, St Beuno set off from Holywell to Cærnarvon. Tradition relates that prior to his departure he seated himself upon the stone, which now stands at the site near the spring in the outer well pool, and there promised in the name of God “that whosoever on that spot should thrice ask for a benefit from God in the name of St. Winifred would obtain the grace he asked if it was for the good of his soul”. Ever since, people have made pilgrimages to St Winifred’s holy well. There they have bathed and prayed for over 1,350 years.

9. A larger outer pool was later added, a testament to the great numbers of pilgrims who flocked to Holywell even in times of persecution.

10. By the late 19th century, as pilgrims were arriving in their thousands, a branch rail line into Holywell was built. A carving opposite the bath depicts healthy pilgrims bearing the sick through the waters on their backs. The stonework of the well is covered with graffiti, initials of hopeful or grateful pilgrims, some clearly testifying to cures received at the shrine. The well crypt was stacked with discarded crutches and each reported cure was recorded in the popular press.

12. Conclusion
This research was very interesting for me, because I have found a lot of different facts about holy springs and wells in Great Britain. The story about Saint Winifred and her holy well impressed me very much. I think that every inhabitant should respect the place where he lives.

13. Internet resources http://www.pravoslavie.ru/english/42777.htm