Also known as
- William of Guyenne
- William of Malval
- William of Malvalla
- William of Poitiers
- William the Great
- William the Hermit
- Gulielmus….
- Wilhelmus….
Profile
William lived a wild and dissolute life as a soldier in his youth. However, at some point he began to take his religion seriously, left the military life, and made pilgrimages to the Holy Lands. He became superior of an abbey at Pisa, Italy in 1153. He failed in this position, however, and became a hermit on Mount Bruno. He attracted followers, founded a monastery in 1154, and failed again as abbot. William returned to a life as a hermit, this time around Siena, Italy in 1155 in a wilderness called “Maleval” (“evil valley”). There he attracted followers who were called Williamites, Guillemites, or the barefoot friars. They first following William’s severe rule, then the Benedictine, and later the Augustinian. They spread through Italy, France, and Germany, but have not survived until today.
Born
- 10 February 1157 of natural causes
- armourers
- blacksmiths
- tinsmiths
- —
- Laoag, Philippines, diocese of
- San Fernando La Union, Philippines, diocese of
- man bearing a cross staff, one arm of which ends in a crescent
- man bearing a shield with four fleur-de-lys
- man wearing a monastic habit over armour
- man with a pilgrim‘s staff
Additional Information
- Book of Saints, by the Monks of Ramsgate
- Catholic Encyclopedia, by Raymund Webster
- Catholic Online
- Ecole Glossary, by Karen Rae Keck
- Heiligen 3s
- Katherine Rabenstein
- Kirken i Norge
- Lives of the Saints, by Father Alban Butler
- Our Sunday Visitor’s Encyclopedia of Saints
- Svetniki
MLA Citation
- “Blessed William of Maleval“. Saints.SQPN.com. 9 February 2013. Web. 20 June 2013. <>