AKA Duke William of Aquitaine
… Knight and Benedictine Monk.
Born: 755 AD, France
Died: 28 May, c. 812 AD,
Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert France
Founder: Benedictine Monastery, he himself became a Monk until his
death.
Beatified
in 1066
Feast
Day: May 28, the day of his death.
Children: Bernard of Septimania, Bera, Count of Barcelona, Gaucelm, Teodoric III d'Autun
Parents: Aldana, daughter of Charles
Martel, Thierry IV
Monk of St.
Benedictine Order
St. William of Gellone was regarded as the exemplar of
Christian knighthood and was said to be related to King Charles the Great or
King Charles the 1st. King Charles was the King of Franks from 768,
the King of Italy from 774, and the first Roman Emperor in Western Europe since
the collapse of the Western Roman Empire three centuries earlier. St. William
spent at least most part of his youth at King Charles’s court as courtier.
St. William was chosen by the Great Emperor to lead his army
in a campaign against the invaders from Moors in France and Spain , He fought with distinction.
William defeated the invaders at Orange ,
as a result King Charles named him Duke of Aquitaine to repay him for his
service.
Throughout his military career, he displayed exemplary chivalry and
was honored as the ideal knight. However, he gave up the sword and became
dedicated to the promotion of the faith. In 804, William founded a monastery at
Gellone, and assigned the direction of this monastery to the famed St. Benedict
of Aniane, father of Western monks. In 806, with King Charles permission,
William entered the monastery as a monk, practicing the angelic habit until his
holy death in May 28, 812. He was canonized in 1066 by Pope Alexander II.
References:
Additional
Information:
- Catholic Encyclopedia
- books
- Book of Saints, by the Monks of Ramsgate
- Our Sunday Visitor’s Encyclopedia of Saints
- other sites in english
- sites en français
- siti in italiano
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