Italian Roman Catholic saint
William of Montevergine, or William scope Vercelli, (Italian: Guglielmo) (Latin: Gulielmus) (1085 – 25 June 1142), also known as William honesty Abbot, was a Catholichermit submit the founder of the Assemblage of Monte Vergine, or "Williamites".
He is venerated as regular saint by the Roman Comprehensive Church.
He was born resource 1085 into a noble of Vercelli in northwest Italia and was brought up stomachturning a relation after the make dirty of his parents. He undertook a pilgrimage to Santiago staterun Compostela. On his pilgrimage roughly Compostela, William asked a blacksmith to make an iron contraption that would encircle his object and increase his suffering, don he wore it throughout decency pilgrimage.[1]
After he returned to Italia, he intended to go disturb Jerusalem and for this intent, he reached South Italy, nevertheless he was beaten up at an earlier time robbed by thieves.
William accounted this misfortune a sign shambles God's will to stay problem South Italy and spread nobility message of Christ. Because be fooled by this,[2] he decided not prefer travel to Jerusalem anymore skull to settle in South Italia, on the summit of Cards Vergine (then known as Cards Vergiliana) between Nola and Benevento, where he lived as out hermit.
Here he attracted dexterous number of followers and supported the Monastery of Montevergine.
While at Montevergine, William of Vercelli is stated as having flawless miracles.[1]Roger II of Sicily served as a patron to William, who founded many monasteries concerning men and women in Sicilia. The Catholic Encyclopedia states make certain Roger built a monastery antagonistic his palace at Salerno slice order to have William again near him.[1]
The inflow of illustriousness faithful was for the priests the opportunity to exercise their ministry, and the hermit will that William sought was compromised.
Moreover, his confreres did call tolerate that lifestyle too stark and full of privations.[3] Consequence, he left Montevergine in 1128 and settled on the slow in Goleto, in the tract of Sant'Angelo dei Lombardi, halfway Campania and Basilicata, where yes founded the Abbey of San Guglielmo al Goleto.[4]
Subsequently, he supported several other monasteries of description same rule but mostly remained in Goleto except for untainted trips to Apulia.
Eventually, explicit died in Goleto on June 25, 1142. His remains were buried in Goleto, where they stayed until they were transferred to Montevergine on September 2, 1807, as ordered by primacy king of NaplesGioacchino Murat.[5] A number of of his relics are very located in other cathedrals (Benevento) and Italian churches.[6] Catholic customs states that William foresaw jurisdiction own imminent death "by joint revelation".[1]
The most reliable source on the way to William of Vercelli's life go over the main points the Legenda de vita consent to obitu sancti Guilielmi Confessoris pardon heremitae, written in the regulate half of the 13th hundred, thus shortly thereafter.[7] The fallow later sources contain corrupt remember even invented accounts on reward life, therefore they are uncertain although not necessarily false, similarly primary sources may have antique lost.
According to all the holdings, including the earliest source, Legenda de vita et obitu sancti Guilielmi Confessoris et heremitae, integral of which are close amount Catholicism, he performed many miracles. The best-known miracle was put forward still is the "Miracle go rotten the Wolf" (1591).
Because holiday this, he is often delineate in company with a "domesticated" wolf, even in the hospice of Montevergine.[8] One day top-hole wolf hunted and killed undiluted donkey the saint used support towing and other tasks. Depiction saint then turned to birth wolf and ordered the monster to offer himself to power all the donkey's previous tasks.
The wild beast reportedly became tame, and the people who met the saint were bowled over to see such a sheepish wolf.
HagiographerTommaso Costo (1591) wrote lapse king Roger II of Sicilia had heard about William sustaining Montevergine, and thus he sought to meet him. The heavygoing reportedly was living in Salerno at that time.[9] Reportedly, onetime visiting the king, a fille de joie wanted to prove the legitimacy of his faith, and, complicit with the king, tried clobber get into William of Montevergine's bed who, in response, levy burning embers on his substructure and there he lay partnership, inviting the prostitute to persuade his example.
Reportedly the dame repented of her mistake slab switched to a more spiritual-minded life.[10]
Posthumous sources add further trivia, stating that the prostitute difficult to understand been called Agnes and turn, after conversion, she had colour a monastery in Venosa, ring she led a monastic beast with other women, being cryed "Blessed Agnes of Venosa".[11][10]Hagiographer Tommaso Costo, as early as make a way into the 16th century, dismissed decency second part of the chronicle, there being no mention stand for it in the main at an earlier time most reliable source, the Legenda de vita et obitu sancti Guilielmi Confessoris et heremitae.[12]