Saint William of Montevergine was born in 1085 into a noble family of Vercelli in northwest Italy. When his parents passed away, he was brought up by a relation. He was also known as William of Vercelli and William the Abbot.
Saint William of Montevergine undertook a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. On his pilgrimage to Compostela, Saint William of Montevergine asked a blacksmith to make an iron implement that would encircle his body and increase his suffering, and he wore it throughout the pilgrimage. 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. Saint William of Montevergine considered this misfortune a sign of God’s will to stay in South Italy and spread the message of Christ.
Saint William of Montevergine decided not to travel to Jerusalem anymore and to settle in South Italy, here he lived as a hermit. Here he attracted a number of followers and founded the Monastery of Montevergine. While at Montevergine, Saint William is stated as having performed miracles.
He left Montevergine in 1128 and settled on the plains in Goleto since his hermit life was compromised due to the inflow of the faithful. He began a new monastic experience, a double monastery built mostly by women. Subsequently, he founded several other monasteries of the same rule, but mostly remained in Goleto except for some trips to Apulia. Eventually he died in Goleto on June 25, 1142.
