Early Life and Years of Sin (c. 1080-1145)

Guillaume de Malavalle, known to history as Saint William of Maleval (or William the Great), was born around 1080 in France, most likely in the region of Aquitaine. According to tradition, he came from a noble and wealthy ducal family, enjoying all the privileges and advantages that such a birth conferred in medieval society. However, the precise details of his early years remain shrouded in mystery, as William himself never wrote an autobiography, and the earliest account of his life, written by his disciple Albert who lived with him during his final year, has been lost to history.

What we do know with certainty paints a picture of dramatic contrasts: a man who began his adult life in grievous sin but who ended it in extraordinary holiness, transforming from a dissolute knight into one of the great penitent hermits of the medieval Church.

A Life of Military Service and Moral Dissolution

Following the path typical for young men of noble birth in his era, William entered military service as a knight. The 11th and early 12th centuries were times of almost constant warfare in Europe—the Crusades to the Holy Land, conflicts between nobles and kings, struggles between Church and secular powers, and countless local wars and feuds. Knights were the warrior elite of this society, trained from youth in the arts of combat, horsemanship, and the code of chivalry.

However, military life in that age was often accompanied by moral dangers. Away from home for extended periods, living in camps with other soldiers, exposed to violence and death, many knights fell into patterns of dissolute living. Contemporary sources describe William as having led precisely such a life—characterized by immorality, licentiousness, and the pursuit of worldly pleasures without restraint or conscience. The exact nature of his sins is not specified in detail by the sources (which is perhaps merciful), but we are told that his conduct was scandalous and grievously offensive to God.

Excommunication: The Axe Falls

What is particularly striking about William's early life is that his sinful conduct eventually drew the official censure of the Church. He was excommunicated—formally expelled from communion with the Catholic Church and cut off from participation in the sacraments and the community of the faithful.

In the medieval world, excommunication was not merely a religious penalty but a social and political catastrophe. An excommunicated person was to be shunned by other Christians. They could not receive the sacraments, could not be buried in consecrated ground, and were considered to be in mortal danger of eternal damnation. The excommunication cut them off from the entire fabric of medieval Christendom, both sacred and secular.

We do not have precise information about the specific reasons for William's excommunication. Certainly, a dissolute lifestyle alone, while sinful, would not typically have resulted in such a severe penalty—many knights lived immoral lives without formal ecclesiastical censure. This suggests that William's offense must have been particularly grave or must have involved political dimensions that brought him into direct conflict with Church authority. Some historians speculate that he may have participated in violence against clergy or Church property, or that he may have been involved in schismatic activities during one of the periodic conflicts between popes and antipopes.

Whatever the specific cause, the result was clear: William found himself excluded from the religious community, banished from the Church's embrace, facing the terrifying prospect of dying in this state and being lost forever.

The Great Conversion: From Darkness to Light (c. 1145)

It was precisely this devastating blow—the excommunication that struck William "like an axe," as one medieval chronicler vividly described it—that became the instrument of his conversion. When all hope of worldly happiness and social respectability was lost, William's soul was finally freed to seek the only thing that truly matters: reconciliation with God.

Pilgrimage to Rome and Encounter with Pope Eugene III

Around the year 1145, William, now genuinely repentant and seeking restoration to the Church's communion, made a pilgrimage to Rome to throw himself at the feet of the Holy Father. The reigning pontiff was Pope Eugene III (r. 1145-1153), a former Cistercian monk and disciple of the great Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, who had been elected pope in February 1145. Eugene III was himself a man of deep spirituality and reform, committed to combating simony and corruption in the Church while also dealing with the immense political challenges of his age.

When William presented himself before Pope Eugene, we can imagine the scene: a penitent knight, hardened by years of warfare and sin, now broken and contrite, begging for absolution and mercy. The Pope, moved by William's sincere repentance but also recognizing that such grievous sins required serious penance, made a momentous decision.

Rather than simply absolving William and sending him on his way, Pope Eugene III imposed upon him an extraordinarily demanding penance: William must make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem—to the very place where Christ had died for the sins of the world, where the price of human redemption had been paid in blood upon the Cross. This was no small matter. The journey to the Holy Land in the mid-12th century was dangerous, expensive, and arduous. It would take years. Many pilgrims died along the way from disease, shipwreck, bandits, or the harsh conditions of desert travel. But the Pope judged that such a penance was appropriate for such a sinner.

William accepted this command with humility and gratitude. He would go to Jerusalem, not as a crusading knight seeking glory, but as a barefoot penitent seeking forgiveness.

Eight Years in the Holy Land (1145-1153)

The Desert as School of Conversion

William set out for the Holy Land, probably traveling first by land through Italy to one of the port cities (Venice, Genoa, or perhaps Bari), and then by sea to the Levant. The sources tell us that he spent approximately eight years in the Holy Land, though one unreliable medieval biographer (Theodobald) inflates this to nine years.

What did William do during these long years in Palestine? The fragmentary evidence preserved in liturgical antiphons and responsories from his feast day office suggests that he did not merely visit the holy sites as a tourist but rather threw himself into a profound spiritual transformation. He visited the sacred places—the Church of the Holy Sepulchre where Christ was crucified and buried, the Mount of Olives where He ascended, Bethlehem where He was born, Nazareth where He grew up, the Jordan River where He was baptized, the Sea of Galilee where He preached and performed miracles.

But more than this, William sought out the desert hermits who had established themselves in the barren wilderness of Judea, following in the footsteps of the ancient Desert Fathers of Egypt and Syria. These holy men lived lives of extreme asceticism, spending their days in prayer, fasting, and manual labor, battling demons in the spiritual combat of the desert. From these contemporary hermits, William learned the practices and spirituality of eremitical life: how to pray constantly, how to fast without destroying one's health, how to discern spirits, how to battle temptation, how to find God in silence and solitude.

He also spent time with the learned monks and clergy of the Holy Land, studying Scripture and theology, deepening his understanding of the faith he had so grievously betrayed in his earlier life. Contemporary chronicles mention that he acquired considerable theological knowledge during this period.

A Changed Man

When William finally returned to Italy around the year 1153, he was utterly transformed. The dissolute knight had become a humble penitent. The warrior had become a man of peace. The sensualist had become an ascetic. The worldly nobleman had become a seeker of heavenly treasure. His eight years in the deserts of Palestine had burned away the dross and revealed the gold beneath.

William's heart was now set on only one thing: to live the rest of his life in solitude and silence, in prayer and penance, atoning for his former sins and seeking ever-deeper union with God. He wanted to become a hermit, following the model of the Desert Fathers he had encountered in the Holy Land.

First Attempts at Eremitical Life in Tuscany (1153-1155)

Hermit Near Pisa: The Island of Lupacavio

Upon returning to Tuscany, William first sought out a place of solitude where he could live as a hermit. He settled on a small wooded island called Lupacavio (or Lupocavo), located in the marshes near Pisa. There, in a simple hut or cave, William began to live the eremitical life he had learned in Palestine.

His days followed a rigorous pattern: long hours of prayer, both liturgical (praying the psalms and other traditional monastic prayers) and contemplative (silent meditation and contemplation of divine mysteries); manual labor to support himself and maintain his dwelling; study of Sacred Scripture; strict fasting, eating only simple uncooked foods he could gather—wild herbs, roots, fruits, nuts—and drinking limited amounts of water; sleeping on the bare ground with only a rough garment or animal skin for warmth; and maintaining almost complete silence except for necessary speech or prayer.

However, William's holiness could not remain hidden. Word spread of the penitent hermit living on the island. People began to seek him out—some out of curiosity, others seeking spiritual direction, still others hoping to be healed through his prayers or to witness miracles. Pilgrims arrived in increasing numbers, disrupting the solitude William craved.

Forced into Community Leadership: The Monastery Near Pisa

The growing number of people visiting William included some who expressed a desire to join him in the eremitical life. Additionally, there was a struggling monastery in the area near Pisa whose monks had fallen into tepidity and laxity. They lacked fervor in prayer, were negligent in observing their rule, and had adopted a comfortable, worldly lifestyle inconsistent with their vows.

Local ecclesiastical authorities, recognizing William's obvious holiness and perhaps hoping that his zeal could reform this failing community, prevailed upon him to accept appointment as abbot of this monastery. Despite his extreme reluctance and his preference for solitude, William obediently accepted, believing this to be God's will.

The Failed Reform Attempt

William's tenure as abbot was brief and unsuccessful. He attempted to restore strict observance of the monastic rule, to reinvigorate the prayer life of the community, to eliminate worldly comforts and practices, and to lead the monks back to fervent religious life. However, he encountered stubborn resistance. The monks had grown accustomed to their comfortable life and had no desire to embrace the austere reforms William proposed. They complained, resisted his directives, and made his life as abbot miserable.

William quickly realized that he lacked the particular gifts needed for this task. He was a contemplative hermit by vocation, not a community administrator or reformer of reluctant monks. Moreover, the noise, conflict, and constant dealing with human affairs was destroying his own spiritual peace and his ability to pray. He recognized that he had made a mistake in accepting this responsibility and that God was calling him back to solitude.

Monte Pruno (Monte Bruno): A Second Attempt

Withdrawing from the failed reform attempt at the monastery near Pisa, William next sought solitude at a place called Monte Pruno (or Monte Bruno), a remote mountainous area. Once again, he established himself as a hermit, living in a cave or simple hut, following his austere routine of prayer and penance.

And once again, the pattern repeated itself. His reputation for holiness drew visitors and would-be disciples. People sought him out for spiritual guidance, healing, and prophecy. A community began to form around him. William, perhaps hoping that this time he could successfully guide others in the eremitical life, attempted to organize these followers into a more structured hermit community or small monastery.

But once again, he found himself poorly suited to the role of superior and organizer. The followers who came to him were not all genuinely called to the austere life he practiced. Many were attracted by curiosity or by the reputation for miracles but lacked the vocation and commitment needed for true eremitical life. Disorder and mediocrity crept in. William found himself spending more time managing human problems and less time in prayer.

Recognizing that this was not God's will for him, William made a difficult decision: he would leave and seek an even more remote and desolate place where he could finally live in the solitude his soul craved.

Maleval: The Final Hermitage (1155-1157)

Discovery of the "Evil Valley"

In 1155, William discovered a place that seemed perfect for his eremitical vocation: a remote, barren, desolate valley called Stabulum Rodis (the "Stable of Reeds" or possibly "Place of Nets"), located in the territory controlled by Castiglione della Pescaia, in the Diocese of Grosseto, Tuscany. This valley was so harsh, so forbidding, so apparently God-forsaken that it came to be known by a grimly appropriate name: Maleval (from the French "Malavalle," meaning "Evil Valley" or "Bad Valley").

The valley was surrounded by dense forests inhabited by wild beasts. It was rocky, barren, and offered little natural sustenance. Local people avoided it, considering it an unlucky or even cursed place. According to local legend, a dragon had long haunted the area, terrorizing the inhabitants of Castiglione della Pescaia. Whether this "dragon" was a real dangerous animal (perhaps a large serpent or crocodile-like creature), a symbolic representation of demonic forces, or simply a legend added later to William's story, the tradition states that William confronted this creature. Making the sign of the cross and invoking the name of Christ, he struck the dragon with his staff, and it died or fled, never to return. Thus William freed the territory from terror and made it safe for human habitation.

Life in the Cave

William initially lived in a natural cave in the valley. This became his cell, his chapel, his hermitage. It was dark, damp, cold in winter and stifling in summer, infested with insects and vermin. But for William, it was paradise—a place where he could finally be alone with God without interruption.

His life in the cave followed the austere pattern he had established earlier but now intensified:

Prayer: William spent most of his waking hours in prayer. He prayed the traditional liturgical hours (the Divine Office) as monks did, though he had no books except perhaps a psalter. He engaged in long periods of contemplative prayer, simply resting in God's presence in silence. He prayed standing, kneeling, or prostrate on the ground. He prayed aloud and in silence. Prayer was his work, his food, his very breath.
Fasting: William ate only once a day, and then only uncooked foods—raw vegetables, wild herbs, roots, fruits, nuts, and berries that he could gather from the surrounding wilderness. He drank small amounts of water. His fasts were "almost continual," as one early source notes, with some days spent in complete abstinence from food.
Sleeping on Bare Ground: William had no bed, no mattress, no pillow. He slept on the bare rock floor of his cave, with only his rough habit for covering. Sleep itself was limited, as he often rose during the night for prayer.
Manual Labor: When not praying, William worked with his hands—maintaining his cave dwelling, tending a small garden (later), gathering food, and making simple items needed for survival. This manual labor was both a practical necessity and a spiritual discipline, keeping his mind focused on God even while his hands were busy.
Silence: William maintained almost complete silence, speaking only when absolutely necessary or when receiving a rare visitor seeking spiritual guidance. This silence created space for God's voice to be heard.
Penance: Beyond these austerities, William engaged in additional penitential practices as acts of reparation for his former sins—sleeping extra little, inflicting minor bodily mortifications, undertaking special fasts, praying in uncomfortable positions for extended periods.

A Local Lord's Charity

A local nobleman, moved by William's holiness and perhaps taking pity on his harsh living conditions, offered to build him a proper hermit's cell—a small structure that would provide better protection from the elements than the cave. William accepted this charity with gratitude. The cell was simple but sturdier than the cave—a small stone structure with a single room, a tiny window, and a door. It was built near the cave, and William divided his time between the two locations.

This hermit's cell became the nucleus of what would eventually grow into a small hermitage complex after William's death.

Companionship with Wild Beasts

One of the charming details preserved in William's hagiography is that he "kept company with the wild beasts of the region." Like Saint Francis of Assisi after him, or like the Desert Father Saint Paul the Hermit before him, William lived in harmony with the animals of the wilderness. The wolves, foxes, wild boars, and other creatures that inhabited the forests around Maleval seemed to recognize something holy in this gentle hermit and did not harm him. Some sources suggest that animals would come to him and that he would speak to them and bless them.

This detail is not merely a pious legend but reflects a theological truth: when sin entered the world through Adam's fall, it disrupted not only the relationship between God and humanity, but also between humanity and nature. The wild beasts became dangerous to humans, and humans became exploiters of nature. But in the saints, who have been restored to harmony with God through grace, we see glimpses of the original paradisiacal peace between humans and creation. The beasts recognized in William something of that original innocence.

The Final Year: Albert Arrives (1156-1157)

The Disciple God Sent

In approximately 1156, about a year before William's death, Divine Providence brought to Maleval a young man who would become William's first and closest disciple: Albert. We know little about Albert's background—where he came from, why he sought out William, or what preparation he had for eremitical life. What we do know is that he recognized in William an authentic holy man and spiritual father, and that he asked to remain with the hermit and learn from him.

William accepted Albert as a disciple, perhaps recognizing that God was providing him with a companion for his final year and, more importantly, with someone who would carry on his legacy and bear witness to his life and teachings after his death.

Albert lived with William in the hermitage at Maleval, learning the eremitical life through both instruction and example. William taught him how to pray, how to fast, how to discern God's will, how to battle temptation, how to find God in silence. Albert absorbed not only William's external practices but, more importantly, his interior spirit—his profound humility, his complete trust in Divine Providence, his single-minded focus on God, and his tender love for Christ.

Most significantly for posterity, Albert began to write down William's teachings and to observe carefully the details of his life. Albert composed what became known as the Vita Sancti Willelmi (Life of Saint William), the earliest and most reliable biography of the saint. Tragically, this precious document was later lost, though some excerpts from it survived in liturgical texts (responsories and antiphons used in the Divine Office on William's feast day) and were quoted by later medieval writers. These fragments preserve Albert's eyewitness testimony to William's final year.

A Physician Joins: Renauld (Renaldus)

Shortly before William's death, Divine Providence sent another person to Maleval: a physician named Renauld (or Renaldus, Renaldo). The timing of his arrival was providential, as William was entering his final illness. Renauld was moved by William's holiness and decided to remain with him and Albert, embracing the eremitical life.

Together, these three men—the aged hermit William and his two younger disciples Albert and Renauld—formed the nucleus of what would become the Williamite order.

Mystical Gifts: Prophecy and Miracles

During his final years at Maleval, William manifested extraordinary spiritual gifts that confirmed his sanctity and attracted pilgrims to seek him out despite the remote location.

The Gift of Prophecy

William received from God the charism of prophecy—the supernatural ability to know future events or hidden present circumstances. Several instances of his prophetic gift are recorded:

Prediction of His Own Death: The most significant prophecy was William's accurate prediction of the date of his own death. As February 1157 approached, William told Albert and Renauld that he would die on February 10th. He prepared himself spiritually for his departure, receiving the sacraments, giving final instructions to his disciples, and spending his last days in intense prayer and contemplation. His prophecy proved accurate to the day.
Knowledge of Hidden Things: William demonstrated supernatural knowledge of people's sins, spiritual states, and hidden circumstances when people came to him for spiritual direction. This gift of reading hearts helped him guide souls effectively.
Predictions About Visitors: Accounts mention that William sometimes knew in advance when someone was coming to visit him, what their spiritual needs were, and how he should respond to them.

The Gift of Miracles

God also worked miracles through William's prayers and intercession, both during his life and after his death:

Healing of the Blind: One specific miracle mentioned in several sources is that William healed a blind man through his prayers, restoring the person's sight. This miracle demonstrated both William's closeness to God and his compassion for those who suffered.
Multiplication of Food: Though not as extensively documented as similar miracles in the lives of other saints, some accounts suggest that William's meager provisions were sometimes miraculously multiplied to feed visitors who came to him.
Protection from Beasts: The fact that dangerous wild animals did not harm William or those who visited him was considered a miraculous protection.
Spiritual Healings: Beyond physical cures, William's greatest miracles were the conversion of sinners and the transformation of souls who came to him discouraged or lost and left renewed in faith and hope.

Posthumous Miracle: The Healing Spring

One of the most remarkable and enduring miracles attributed to Saint William occurred immediately after his death. According to tradition, a spring of water miraculously began to flow from the very spot where William died and was buried. This was interpreted as a sign of God's approval of His servant's holiness—water, symbolizing both spiritual life and physical healing, flowing forth from the place sanctified by the saint's death, just as water and blood flowed from Christ's side on the Cross.

This miraculous spring became famous for its healing properties. Pilgrims who came to venerate William's tomb would drink from the spring or bathe their afflicted body parts in its water, and many reported cures from various ailments. The spring continues to flow to this day at the hermitage site of Maleval, and pilgrims still visit it seeking both physical healing and spiritual renewal.

Death and Burial (February 10, 1157)

The Final Days

As William had prophesied, his final days on earth arrived in early February 1157. Recognizing that his death was imminent, he asked Albert to summon a priest from the neighboring town of Castiglione (Chatillon in some sources) so that he might receive the last sacraments.

The priest came and heard William's confession—though one can imagine there was little to confess after years of such austere and holy life. He gave William Viaticum (Holy Communion given to the dying) and anointed him with the Sacrament of the Sick (Extreme Unction). Thus fortified with the Church's sacramental graces, William prepared to meet his Lord.

A Holy Death

On February 10, 1157, in his hermitage at Maleval, surrounded by his beloved disciples Albert and Renauld, approximately 77 years old (if born around 1080), Saint William of Maleval peacefully surrendered his soul to God.

Those present reported that his death was serene and holy—the death of a saint who had nothing to fear from judgment, having spent the last twelve years of his life in continuous penance and prayer, atoning abundantly for his earlier sins. William had lived to see the fulfillment of God's mercy: the excommunicated knight had become a great saint, the dissolute sinner had become a model of penance and holiness.

Burial in the Garden

Albert and Renauld buried William's body in his small garden adjacent to the hermit's cell, in a simple grave befitting his life of poverty and humility. They marked the spot and began immediately to keep vigil there, praying at their master's tomb and treasuring his memory.

Immediate Veneration

News of William's death spread rapidly through Tuscany. People who had known him, who had received his spiritual guidance, who had witnessed his holiness or been healed through his prayers, began to come to Maleval to pray at his grave. Reports of miracles at the tomb multiplied—healings, conversions, spiritual graces received through William's intercession.

The miraculous spring that appeared at the site of his death attracted even more pilgrims. What had been a desolate, abandoned valley now became a place of pilgrimage and grace. The "Evil Valley" had been transformed by William's presence into a source of blessing.

The Williamite Order: Albert and Renauld's Legacy (1157-1256)

Foundation of a Community

Albert and Renauld, left alone after William's death, faced a decision: should they remain at Maleval, or should they leave to seek another form of religious life? They decided to stay, to honor their master's memory, and to continue living according to his example and teachings.

However, they did not remain alone for long. Other men, inspired by William's reputation for holiness and attracted by the austere eremitical life he had lived, began to arrive at Maleval asking to join Albert and Renauld in their way of life. What had begun as a single hermit's dwelling grew into a small community of hermits.

The Rule of Saint William

To provide structure and guidance for this growing community, Albert composed what became known as The Rule of Saint William (Regula Sancti Willelmi). This rule was based on William's teachings and example as Albert had observed them during their year together. The Rule emphasized:

Absolute Poverty: The hermits owned nothing individually or collectively except the bare necessities for survival. They depended entirely on Divine Providence and the charity of benefactors.
Perpetual Silence: Except for necessary communication or communal prayer, the hermits maintained silence to create space for constant communion with God.
Rigorous Fasting: They ate only one meal per day, consisting of simple foods, with frequent days of complete abstinence.
Going Barefoot: The hermits went without shoes as a sign of poverty and penance, earning them the nickname "Bare-Footed Friars" (Fratres Discalceati).
Manual Labor: Each hermit engaged in work with his hands to support himself and contribute to the community.
Long Hours of Prayer: The Divine Office was prayed communally, with additional hours devoted to private contemplative prayer.
Extreme Austerity: The hermits slept on hard surfaces with minimal covering, wore rough habits, and engaged in various penitential practices.

Construction of the Chapel and Hermitage

As the community grew and pilgrims continued to visit William's tomb, Albert and Renauld organized the construction of a proper chapel over their founder's grave. This chapel served both as a place of worship for the hermit community and as a shrine for pilgrims. Around the chapel, they built a small hermitage complex with individual cells for the hermits.

The hermitage at Maleval became the mother house of the Williamite Order, which spread rapidly in the following decades.

Rapid Expansion of the Order

The Hermits of Saint William (Williamites or Gulielmites) experienced remarkable growth throughout the second half of the 12th century and into the 13th. Houses were established throughout:

Central and Northern Italy: Tuscany, Umbria, the Marches, Lazio, Lombardy, and other regions
France: Particularly in the southern regions, with an important house at the Abbey of Blancs-Manteaux in Paris
Flanders (modern Belgium and Netherlands): Where the order became particularly popular
Germany: Multiple houses in various Germanic principalities
Bohemia (modern Czech Republic): Several hermitages
Hungary: The order spread even into Eastern Europe

At its height, the Williamite Order numbered 54 monasteries organized into three provinces: Tuscany, Germany, and France.

The order's austere lifestyle and reputation for holiness attracted many vocations. The Williamites became known for their extreme austerities, their dedication to contemplative prayer, and their prophetic witness against the worldliness and corruption that afflicted parts of the medieval Church.

Papal Recognition and Modifications

In 1202, just 45 years after William's death, Pope Innocent III officially confirmed the cult of Saint William, effectively beatifying him and authorizing liturgical veneration. This rapid recognition was unusual and testified to the widespread popular devotion to William and the miracles attributed to his intercession.

However, Church authorities became concerned about the extreme austerities practiced by the Williamites. The near-continuous fasting, the practice of going barefoot in all weather, sleeping on bare ground, and other severe penances were causing health problems and even premature death among some of the hermits. The austerities were so demanding that few men could endure them for long.

In 1243, Pope Innocent IV issued a bull addressing Tuscan hermits and calling for unity and moderation. The following year, the Williamites were formally constituted as the Order of Saint William with some modifications to their practices.

Pope Gregory IX had earlier given the Williamites the Rule of Saint Benedict to provide a more moderate and sustainable framework for religious life, while still allowing them to maintain their eremitical character and special devotions. Some houses adopted the Benedictine Rule, while others maintained the original Rule of Saint William. Some houses adopted the Rule of Saint Augustine instead.

The Grand Union of 1256

A defining moment came in 1256 when Pope Alexander IV initiated what became known as the Grand Union or Great Union of the hermit congregations. Various groups of hermits and small religious communities—including the Hermits of Saint Augustine, the Hermits of Saint William, the Hermits of Monte Favale, the Brettinians, the Bonites, and several other smaller groups—were invited to merge into a single mendicant order under the Rule of Saint Augustine.

Many Williamite houses joined this union and became part of what is now known as the Order of Saint Augustine (Augustinians or Austin Friars). This is why Saint William of Maleval is venerated by the Augustinians to this day, even though he lived a century before the Grand Union and never personally belonged to the Augustinian Order.

However, not all Williamites joined the union. Many houses, particularly in France and the Low Countries, withdrew from the merger and continued as an independent congregation under the Benedictine Rule. In 1435, the Council of Basel confirmed the privileges of these independent Williamite houses.

Later History and Eventual Decline

The Williamite houses that remained independent continued for several more centuries:

In 1274, the Williamites who had remained separate from the Augustinians were given the Abbey of Blancs-Manteaux in Paris, where they followed the Benedictine Rule and wore a white habit similar to the Cistercians.
In the 17th century, they adopted the reforms of the Congregation of Saint-Vanne from Lorraine, as promoted by the Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés.
Eventually, they joined the Congregation of Saint Maur, the famous congregation of French Benedictine monasteries known for their scholarly work and strict observance.
The independent Williamite houses were finally suppressed during the French Revolution at the end of the 18th century, when the revolutionary government closed all monasteries and religious houses in France.

The Italian hermitages had already declined due to wars and other factors over the previous centuries. By the time of the suppression, the once-flourishing Order of Saint William had been reduced to a few remaining houses.

However, Saint William's spiritual legacy lived on through the Augustinian Order, which incorporated many Williamite houses and continues to venerate him as one of their saints to this day.

Canonization and Cult

Beatification by Pope Innocent III (1202)

As mentioned earlier, Pope Innocent III (r. 1198-1216), one of the greatest medieval popes, formally confirmed the cult of William of Maleval in 1202, just 45 years after the saint's death. This was an official recognition that William had lived a life of heroic virtue, that miracles had been worked through his intercession, and that he was worthy of public liturgical veneration.

In medieval terminology, this confirmation of cult was equivalent to what we would today call beatification. William was thus officially recognized as "Blessed William of Maleval" and could be publicly venerated in the regions where his cult had spread.

Full Canonization

The precise date of William's full canonization (elevation to the rank of "Saint" with universal veneration) is not clearly recorded in the sources. Some references indicate that Pope Innocent III also canonized him in 1202 (making the beatification and canonization simultaneous, which was sometimes done in the medieval period). Other sources suggest that formal canonization came later.

Regardless of the technicalities, what is certain is that by the early 13th century, William was universally recognized as a saint throughout Christendom. His name was inserted into the Roman Martyrology (the official list of saints of the universal Church), and his feast day was established as February 10, the anniversary of his holy death.

Liturgical Celebration

The Church composed a proper liturgical office for Saint William's feast day, including special antiphons, responsories, readings, and prayers. Some of these liturgical texts preserve excerpts from Albert's lost Vita, making them invaluable historical sources.

Different regions and religious orders celebrated Saint William's feast with varying degrees of solemnity:

In Tuscany and especially in the Diocese of Grosseto and the town of Castiglione della Pescaia, he was celebrated as a major patron and protector.
The Augustinian Order, having incorporated many Williamite houses, gave him a special place in their calendar and devotions.
In France, particularly in Paris and other areas where Williamite houses had existed, he was venerated with special devotion.
The new Paris Breviary and Missal included his feast day.

Patronage and Devotion

Patron Saint of Castiglione della Pescaia

Saint William is the principal patron saint of Castiglione della Pescaia, the Tuscan town near where his hermitage of Maleval was located. The people of this region have maintained continuous devotion to him for more than eight centuries. The town celebrates his feast day with special solemnity, including processions, special Masses, and popular festivities.

Other Patronages

Over the centuries, Saint William has been invoked as patron of:

Armourers, blacksmiths, and tinsmiths: Perhaps because of his earlier life as a knight or because of miraculous protections attributed to metalworkers who invoked him
Adopted children: Though the connection is not entirely clear, William is venerated as a special protector of adopted children, perhaps because he "adopted" Albert as a spiritual son
Penitents: As one who himself experienced dramatic conversion from sin to holiness
Hermits and those in solitary religious life: As a model of eremitical spirituality

Devotion in the Philippines

An interesting development occurred when Augustinian missionaries from Spain evangelized the Philippines in the 16th and 17th centuries. They brought with them devotion to Saint William of Maleval, whom they considered one of their spiritual ancestors through the Grand Union. Several parishes in the Philippines were dedicated to Saint William, and he became known among Filipino Catholics, though often without full knowledge of his remarkable life story. The Augustinians who founded these parishes ensured that February 10 was celebrated with special devotion.

Two dioceses in the Philippines list Saint William as a patron: the Diocese of Laoag City and the Diocese of San Fernando.

Spirituality and Legacy

The Spirituality of Radical Conversion

The most striking aspect of Saint William's spirituality is the theme of radical conversion—from the depths of sin and excommunication to the heights of sanctity. His life story proclaims the Gospel truth that no sinner is beyond the reach of God's mercy, that genuine repentance can transform the most wayward soul, and that God's grace is more powerful than any human sin.

William's conversion was not superficial or merely external. It was a complete transformation of heart, mind, and will. The proud knight became humble. The sensualist became an ascetic. The violent warrior became a man of peace. The worldly nobleman became a seeker of God alone.

This transformation did not happen instantly but through years of penance, prayer, and cooperation with grace—eight years in the Holy Land followed by years of eremitical life in Tuscany. True conversion is a process, and William's life illustrates this truth.

Penitential Spirituality

William's spirituality was profoundly penitential. He understood that his earlier sins—however completely forgiven through sacramental absolution—still demanded reparation. Like the tax collector in Jesus' parable who "would not even raise his eyes to heaven but beat his breast and said, 'God, be merciful to me, a sinner!'" (Luke 18:13), William lived in a constant attitude of compunction and humble acknowledgment of his unworthiness.

His extreme fasts, his sleeping on bare ground, his life in a desolate cave, his constant prayers—all were offered as reparation for his former life and in solidarity with Christ's redemptive suffering on the Cross. He embodied Saint Paul's words: "Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ" (Colossians 1:24).

Eremitical Spirituality

William represents one of the great streams of Christian spirituality: the eremitical or hermit tradition. Following in the footsteps of the Desert Fathers (Saint Anthony, Saint Pachomius, Saint Paul the Hermit) and continuing through medieval hermits like Saint Peter Damian, Saint Romuald, and later Saint Francis of Assisi, William embraced the call to the desert—to solitude, silence, and constant contemplation.

Eremitical spirituality is based on the conviction that God is found most directly in solitude and silence, away from the distractions and noise of ordinary life. The hermit seeks to live constantly in God's presence, to pray without ceasing, and to allow God's transforming grace to work deeply in the soul without the interruptions of social life.

William's multiple attempts to find the right place for his hermitage—moving from Pisa to Monte Pruno to finally Maleval—reflect the hermit's search for an environment conducive to deep prayer. His insistence on solitude, even refusing opportunities for community leadership when they interfered with his contemplative life, shows his single-minded focus on union with God.

Prophetic Witness

In an age when much of the Church was plagued by worldliness, wealth-seeking, and moral laxity, William's radical poverty and austerity served as a prophetic witness—a living reminder of the Gospel call to poverty, simplicity, and detachment from worldly goods. His life challenged comfortable Christians to examine their own lives and to consider whether they had compromised too much with the world.

Devotion to Manual Labor

Like the Benedictines and other monastic traditions, William practiced and taught devotion to manual labor—working with one's hands not merely as a practical necessity but as a spiritual discipline. Manual labor keeps the mind from idleness (which the Desert Fathers called "the mother of all vices"), provides an outlet for physical energy that might otherwise become a source of temptation, supports one's livelihood without dependence on others, and sanctifies everyday work by offering it to God.

Radical Trust in Divine Providence

William's life exemplifies radical trust in Divine Providence. Living in a desolate valley with no regular source of food, no income, and no guarantee of survival, he trusted completely that God would provide what he needed. And God did—through wild plants he could gather, through occasional charity from visitors, and ultimately through the miraculous sustenance of grace that enabled him to survive on far less food than would normally sustain a human being.

Relevance for Today

What can Saint William of Maleval teach Christians in the 21st century?

The Possibility of Radical Conversion

In a culture that often assumes people cannot fundamentally change, that character is fixed, that "you are who you are," William's life proclaims the Gospel truth that conversion is possible. No matter how deeply one has sinned, no matter how far one has strayed, God's mercy is greater and can transform the most wayward soul. William went from excommunicated sinner to great saint—if this conversion was possible for him, it is possible for anyone.

The Value of Solitude and Silence

In our age of constant noise, perpetual connectivity, and endless distractions, William's embrace of solitude and silence challenges us to create spaces for genuine encounter with God. We may not all be called to become hermits in caves, but we all need regular times of solitude for prayer, reflection, and listening to God's voice.

Authentic Penance

In a therapeutic culture that can emphasize self-acceptance and self-affirmation to the exclusion of genuine repentance, William reminds us that acknowledging our sins and making reparation for them is necessary for spiritual health. True penance is not self-hatred but rather a realistic acknowledgment of our sins combined with trust in God's mercy and a desire to make amends.

Simplicity and Poverty

In our consumer culture characterized by constant accumulation and the pursuit of material comfort, William's radical poverty challenges us to examine our relationship with possessions. Are we enslaved by our desire for things? Can we find freedom in simplicity and detachment?

The Primacy of Prayer

William's life was centered on prayer—hours and hours of prayer each day. In our busy, productivity-obsessed age, he reminds us that the most important thing is not what we accomplish but our relationship with God. Prayer is not one activity among many but the very heart and purpose of life.

The Hermitage Today

The site of Saint William's hermitage at Maleval, though remote and challenging to reach, remains a place of pilgrimage to this day. The hermitage complex has been expanded and modified over the centuries, but the essential elements remain: the cave where William lived, the cell built for him by the local lord, the chapel over his tomb, and the miraculous spring.

Pilgrims who make the difficult journey to this sacred site can pray at the saint's tomb, drink from the healing spring, visit the cave where he prayed, and experience something of the solitude and silence that characterized his life. Many report experiencing profound spiritual peace and renewal at this holy place.

The hermitage is maintained by those who continue to value the eremitical tradition and seek to preserve the memory and legacy of Saint William of Maleval.

Prayer to Saint William of Maleval

O God, who through Your infinite mercy transformed Saint William from a sinner deserving excommunication into a great penitent and hermit of extraordinary holiness, grant us, through his intercession, the grace of sincere conversion from our sins, the courage to undertake authentic penance, and the wisdom to seek You in solitude and silence. May we, like Saint William, trust completely in Your providential care and find in prayer the center and meaning of our lives. Through his prayers, grant us the grace we seek [mention your request], if it be according to Your will and for our salvation. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be

Important Dates in the Life of Saint William of Maleval

c. 1080: Born in France, probably in Aquitaine
c. 1100-1145: Life as a knight; period of dissolute living
c. 1140s: Excommunicated for grievous sins
c. 1145: Pilgrimage to Rome; meets Pope Eugene III; sent on pilgrimage to Jerusalem as penance
1145-1153: Eight years in the Holy Land; conversion and formation
c. 1153: Returns to Tuscany; begins eremitical life
c. 1153-1154: Hermit on island of Lupacavio near Pisa
c. 1154: Becomes abbot of monastery near Pisa; fails to reform monks
c. 1154-1155: Hermit at Monte Pruno; attempts community leadership again
1155: Settles at Maleval (Stabulum Rodis); defeats the dragon
1155-1157: Lives in cave and hermit's cell at Maleval
c. 1156: Albert joins William as disciple
Late 1156/Early 1157: Renauld (physician) joins the hermitage
February 10, 1157: Dies at Maleval (age ~77); buried in his garden
1157: Miraculous spring appears at his tomb
1157-1158: Albert and Renauld found community at Maleval
Late 12th-13th centuries: Rapid expansion of Williamite Order across Europe
1202: Beatified (and possibly canonized) by Pope Innocent III
1243-1244: Williamites formally constituted; receive Benedictine Rule
1256: Many Williamite houses join Augustinian Grand Union
1435: Council of Basel confirms privileges of independent Williamite houses
18th century: Final suppression of independent Williamite houses during French Revolution

Feast Day: February 10

Patronage: Castiglione della Pescaia; armourers; blacksmiths; tinsmiths; adopted children; penitents; hermits; Diocese of Laoag City, Philippines; Diocese of San Fernando, Philippines

Attributes: Hermit's habit; cave; staff (with which he struck the dragon); book of prayer; wild animals; spring of water; barefoot

Also Known As: William the Hermit; William the Great (Guillaume le Grand); Saint William of Malavalle; San Guglielmo di Malavalle

Religious Order: Founder (through his disciples) of the Hermits of Saint William (Williamites/Gulielmites); venerated by the Order of Saint Augustine

May Saint William of Maleval intercede for us and inspire us to seek God with his same single-minded devotion, trusting in divine mercy no matter how gravely we have sinned!

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Feb 10, 2015

⛪ Saint William of Maleval: From Dissolute Knight to Desert Hermit