St. William of Vercelli

Saint William of Vercelli

Saint William was born in Vercelli, a city of Lombardy, and lost his father and mother in his infancy and was brought up by a relative in great sentiments of piety. At fifteen years of age, having an earnest desire to lead a penitential life, he left his native region and made a long and austere pilgrimage to the shrine of the Virgin founded by Saint James at Saragossa. He would have made the pilgrimage to Jerusalem, but God made known to him th…

St. William of Vercelli

St. William of Vercelli was born in 1085 in Vercelli, Italy. Orphaned at a young age, he was raised by relatives and developed a deep desire for a life devoted to God. As a young man, he undertook a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, and afterward, chose a life of solitude and penance in the mountains of southern Italy. His holiness attracted followers, and despite his wish for solitude, he founded the Monastery of Montevergine, establishing …