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'Saint William of Montevergine' or 'William of Vercelli' (1085 – 25 June, 1142) was a Christian hermit and the founder of the Congregation of Montevergine, or “Williamites”.

Contents

Life

The old ''Catholic Encyclopedia'' version

References

Further reading

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.

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:

★ 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 foresaw 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.

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Further reading

★ Monastero e Santuario di Montevergine

★ Guglielmo di Montevergine (da Vercelli) at Santi e Beati