Dymphʹna

The tutelar saint of those stricken in spirit. She was a native of Britain, and a woman of high rank. It is said that she was murdered, at Geel, in Belgium, by her own father, because she resisted his incestuous passion. Geel, or Gheel, has long been a famous colony for the insane, who are sent thither from all parts of Europe, and are boarded with the peasantry.