William of Montevergine
Saint William of Montevergine or William of Vercelli Template:In it Template:In la (1085 – 25 June, 1142) was a Christian hermit and the founder of the Congregation of Montevergine, or “Williamites”.
Life
He was born into a noble family of Vercelli in north-west Italy and brought up by a relation after the death of his parents. After undertaking the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, he lived as a hermit on the summit of Monte Vergine (then known as Monte Vergiliana) between Nola and Benevento. Here he attracted a number of followers and founded the Monastery of Montevergine. He died at Santa Maria di Guglieto, a daughter house of Montevergine near Nusco, province of Avellino.
Calendar
Although he has been recognized as a saint within the Roman Catholic Church, his observance was restricted to local calendars in 1969. His feast day is 25 June, the date of his death.
Iconography
His emblems include the wolf and the crosier.
The old Catholic Encyclopedia version
The account of his life in the old Catholic Encyclopedia includes a number of interesting assertions of fact, not all of them implausible[citation needed]:
- On his pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, “not content with the ordinary hardships of such a pilgrimage, he encircled his body with iron bands to increase his suffering”.
- On Montevergine he performed many miracles.
- “Roger I of Sicily took him under his patronage, and the saint founded many monasteries, both of men and of women, in that kingdom.”
- Roger built a monastery opposite his palace at Salerno in order to have William always near him.
- William forsaw his own imminent death “by special revelation”.
References
- The Book of Saints, compiled by the Benedictine monks of St Augustine's Abbey, Ramsgate. London: Cassell, 1994. ISBN 0-304-34357-9.
- Guglielmo di Montevergine (da Vercelli) at the Santi e Beati website.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. {{cite encyclopedia}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) [1]