Tag:place_of_worship=holy_well
 place_of_worship = holy_well
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A holy well is a mainly natural source of water which is believed to have healing powers or is associated with supernatural events. To distinguish it from springs without these associations, they have been given a name. 
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| Group: religion |
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Status: approved
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A holy well is a mainly natural source of water which is believed to have healing powers or is associated with supernatural events. To distinguish it from springs without these associations, they have been given a name[1]. For easier access to the water, there can be stone or pipe structures. Votive offerings can be left by devotees.
Usage
The value holy well is used to identify a well which is considered a holy well by locals. In most cases, it will be a natural source of water in the shape of a natural=spring or less often a natural=water + water=pond. Contrary to the word "well" being used, in only very few cases it will be a man_made=water_well. However, to give easy access to the water for filling bottles or similar, there can be a stone lining or pipes in place. In some cases, a well house will protect the structure. (See examples below.)
There can be churches, church ruins or rag trees/ wishing trees nearby, which can also be mapped.
Examples
holy well with church ruin in the background (Marlfield, Co. Tipperary, Ireland)
well protected by a well house (Tyrrelstown, Co. Dublin, Ireland)
St. Colman's Well with an ash tree nearby (Ireland)
(well of St. Mary, Israel)
(Minsk, Belarus)
Holy well in Altenfelden (Austria)
Values
Draw a node for a spring or area for a pond and add the following tags as required. If the well is no longer considered holy, use disused:amenity=place_of_worship.
| Key=value | Explanation | Example |
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| amenity=place_of_worship | amenity=place_of_worship
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| place_of_worship=holy_well | place_of_worship=holy_well
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| natural=spring/ man_made=water_well | Depending on the circumstances, but will be natural in most cases. | natural=spring
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| religion=* | This can be christian as well as pagan in some places. |
religion=christian
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| denomination=* | denomination=roman_catholic
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| name=* | official name Do NOT use name=Holy Well |
name=Saint Canice's Well
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| loc_name=* | Optional: local name/ common name |
name=Kenny's Well
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| other language names | Optional: Name in other local languages |
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| covered=* | Use covered=yes, if well is covered by a flagstone or similar and no longer accessible. covered=no is otherwise implied.
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| saint:name=* | Name of the worshipped entity associated with the well, in case the well has a name referring to the townland/ locality. There can be several Saint Kierans, please use the full official name, if known. If there is a wikipedia article on the saint, the next tag can be used instead. | name=Cainnech of Aghaboe
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| subject:wikipedia=* | wikipedia articlt for the entity venerated here, i.e. saint or Pagan god | Cainnech of Aghaboe |
| subject:wikidata=* | wikidata entry for that entity venerated here (in case of Christian veneration, can be a saint, the Trinity or the Holy Cross), use also for Pagan Gods | Q1133742 |
| patron_day=* | Date of the annual Patron Day (pattern) in the MONTH DAY format or like "2nd Sunday in June" | August 15 |
| wikipedia=* | Add wikipedia article for the holy well, if available. | |
| wikidata=* | Add wikidata reference for the holy well, if available. | |
| building | Optional: If the well is protected by a well house, draw the building, but add the well as a node within. Do not tag the building as natural=spring.
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| description=* | Optional: Add any further information of interest, for example which type of cure is associated with the well or chemical reasons for this cure, if known. |
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| tourism=attraction | If the holy well is an established tourist attraction*, please indicate so. | tourism=attraction |
* (As destinations of pilgrimage, holy wells are one of the original tourist attractions, so this is up to the mapper's judgement call.)
If there is a holy or wish tree nearby, please tag with at least natural=tree and species=*, if possible.
See also
References
- ↑ Pádraig Ó Dálaigh: The holy wells of County Kilkenny in terms of documentary coverage, location, ritual practice and onomastic concept, Limerick 2018 (available online)