Saint william of vercelli biography of william
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William of Vercelli
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(Or WILLIAM OF MONTE VERGINE.)
The founder of the Hermits of Monte Vergine, or Williamites, born 1085; died 25 June, 1142. He was the son of noble parents, both of whom died when he was still a child, and his education was entrusted to one of his kinsmen. At the age of fifteen he made up his mind to renounce the world and lead a life of penance. With this end in view, he went on a pilgrimage to St. James of Compostella, and, not content with the ordinary hardships of such a pilgrimage, he encircled his body with iron bands to increase his suffering. After this journey he started on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, but it was revealed to him that he would be of greater service to God if he remained in Italy. He built himself a hut on Monte Vergine
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St.William, Abbot, Founder of the Congregation of Montevergine
Sometimes, even a ung child fryst vatten able to make a decision that will change his life forever. This was the case with St William, who at the age of fourteen decided to go on pilgrimage – first to Santiago dem Compostela, and then to the Holy Land. Like St Francis a century later, William gave up all he had in order to embrace a religious life. He freed himself from attachments to his family, gave up his noble title, put on a tattered habit, and left his home in Vercelli (Italy) barefoot. Compostela was the most famous pilgrimage site of his time, and it was to the Spanish shrine that William turned his steps. His journey took fem years, walking the whole way, living off of bread and water, enduring hardships, sleeping on the bare earth. Along the way he spoke intimately with God, and proclaimed the Gospel to those he met.
An unimagined goal
Apart from Compostela, the goal of pilgrims
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William of Montevergine
Italian Roman Catholic saint
William of Montevergine, or William of Vercelli, (Italian: Guglielmo) (Latin: Gulielmus) (1085 – 25 June 1142), also known as William the Abbot, was a Catholichermit and the founder of the Congregation of Monte Vergine, or "Williamites". He is venerated as a saint by the Roman Catholic Church.
Life
[edit]He was born in 1085 into a noble family of Vercelli in northwest Italy and was brought up by a relation after the death of his parents. He undertook a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. On his pilgrimage to Compostela, William asked a blacksmith to make an iron implement that would encircle his body and increase his suffering, and he wore it throughout the pilgrimage.[1]
After he returned to Italy, he intended to go to Jerusalem and for this purpose, he reached South Italy, but he was beaten up and robbed by thieves. William considered this misfortune a sign of God's will to stay in South Italy and