|
Icon of St. William
(Guillaume, Gulielmus, Guillermo), +812
St. William was the 2nd count
of Toulouse and duke of Aquitaine. He was distantly related to
Charlemagne, and spent at least part of his youth at Charlemagne's
court. The emperor employed him against the Muslim invaders from Spain,
whom William defeated at Orange. In 804 William founded a monastery,
since called St. William of the Wilderness, in the valley of Gellone,
near Lodeve in the diocese of Maguelonne. He assigned the direction of
this monastery to the famed St. Benedict of Aniane, father of Western
monks. In 806, William entered this monastery as a monk, remaining in
the angelic habit until his holy death in 812. On May 28 in that year
he breathed his soul into God's hands. Holy Father William, pray to God
for us!
Icon: of unknown provenance,
but apparently from a French atelier.
|
