250px, The Abbey of San Guglielmo al Goleto. The Abbey of San Guglielmo al Goleto is a

Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

monastery in

Sant'Angelo dei Lombardi Sant'Angelo dei Lombardi is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Avellino in the Campania region of southern Italy. It has been a historical spot of significance in mezzogiorno history. Information Geography Just on a hilltop near the Fredano ...

, province of Avellino, region of Campania

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

. The monastery was founded by Saint William of Vercelli in the year 1114. It was started as a female cloister, with a small attached monastery for the spiritual guidance and economic assistance of the nuns. The period 1135-1515 was known as the "Age of the Nuns." The cloister became wealthy from 1135 to 1348 until the black death struck and the cloister began to decline. On January 24, 1506,

Pope Julius II Pope Julius II ( la, Iulius II; it, Giulio II; born Giuliano della Rovere; 5 December 144321 February 1513) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 1503 to his death in February 1513. Nicknamed the Warrior Pope or th ...

declared that, upon the death of the last abbess, the cloister would be closed, which occurred in 1515. The age of the nuns was followed by the "epoch of the monks" from 1515 to 1807. When the cloister closed, the monastery merged with that on

Montevergine 250px, The Sanctuary of Montevergine. The Montevergine, also known as Partenio or Monti di Avella, is a limestone massif in Campania, central Italy, part of the Apennine chain. It is located near Avellino, in the ''comune'' of Mercogliano. It h ...

and began to grow. Pope Sixtus V, who was also superior of the

Franciscan , image = FrancescoCoA PioM.svg , image_size = 200px , caption = A cross, Christ's arm and Saint Francis's arm, a universal symbol of the Franciscans , abbreviation = OFM , predecessor = , ...

Convent of S. Angelo dei Lombardi, accelerated this growth. The monastery reached its peak between the mid-seventeenth century and the mid-eighteenth century. In 1807, the

king of Naples The following is a list of rulers of the Kingdom of Naples, from its first separation from the Kingdom of Sicily to its merger with the same into the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. Kingdom of Naples (1282–1501) House of Anjou In 1382, the Kin ...

Joseph Bonaparte it, Giuseppe-Napoleone Buonaparte es, José Napoleón Bonaparte , house = Bonaparte , father = Carlo Buonaparte , mother = Letizia Ramolino , birth_date = 7 January 1768 , birth_place = Corte, Corsica, Republic of ...

, ordered the Abbey closed. St. William's body was moved to

and the furnishings of the abbey were looted. The abbey remained abandoned until 1973 when a monk of Montevergine, Lucio M. De Marino, obtained permission to relocate to Goleto, reoccupying the abbey and beginning its restoration. In 1989, the Abbey was entrusted to the

Little Brothers of Jesus Caritas The Little Brothers of Jesus Caritas (; abbreviated and stylised jc) are a male religious congregation of the Catholic Church. They follow the life and inspiration of Saint Charles de Foucauld. History The Little Brothers of Jesus Caritas wer ...

. They resided there until July 2021.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Guglielmo al Goleto Benedictine monasteries in Italy 1114 establishments in Europe 12th-century establishments in Italy 12th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy Churches in the province of Avellino Romanesque architecture in Italy

See also

References