Gerard of Lunel (french: Gérard de Lunel) ( it, San Gerio, Girio) (ca. 1275–1298), also known as ''Roger of Lunel'' and as Saint Géri (''Gerius''),Not to be confused with

Gaugericus Saint Gaugericus, in French language, French Saint Géry (also known as Gorik, Gau; in Walloon language, Walloon, Djèri) ( 550 – August 11, 619) was a bishop of Cambrai, France. Biography He was born to Roman Empire, Roman parents, Gaude ...

, who is also known as Saint Géry. was a French

saint In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of Q-D-Š, holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and Christian denomination, denominat ...

. Born to the French nobility, he became a

Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related Mendicant orders, mendicant Christianity, Christian Catholic religious order, religious orders within the Catholic Church. Founded in 1209 by Italian Catholic friar Francis of Assisi, these orders include t ...

tertiary at the age of five. From his maternal grandfather, Raymond Guasselin, Gerard received half of the Barony of Lunel, which consisted of 15 villages. When his grandfather died in 1294, Gerard received other assets that were administered by his father, since the future saint was underage at the time.San Gerio (Girio)
/ref> In 1295, when Philip the Fair wished to possess a

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the e ...

port, he offered to assume control over Lunel in exchange for the county of

Roquefort Roquefort is a sheep milk cheese from Southern France, and is one of the world's best known blue cheeses. Though similar cheeses are produced elsewhere, EU law dictates that only those cheeses aged in the natural Combalou caves of Roquefort-sur ...

, also situated in

Languedoc The Province of Languedoc (; , ; oc, Lengadòc ) is a former province of France. Most of its territory is now contained in the modern-day region of Occitanie in Southern France. Its capital city was Toulouse. It had an area of approximately ...

, but in the

diocese of Avignon The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Avignon (Latin: ''Archidioecesis Avenionensis''; French: ''Archidiocèse d'Avignon'') is an archdiocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in France. The diocese exercises jurisdiction over the terr ...

rather than

Montpellier Montpellier (, , ; oc, Montpelhièr ) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centres in the region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Montpellier is the prefecture of the Departments of ...

. Gerard thus became a count rather than a baron. When he was 18, however, Gerard wished to live in solitude as a

hermit A hermit, also known as an eremite (adjectival form: hermitic or eremitic) or solitary, is a person who lives in seclusion. Eremitism plays a role in a variety of religions. Description In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a Ch ...

. He and his brother Effrenaud (Effrendo) decided to live as hermit in two caves for two years. According to his legend, when continuous rains swelled the river so much that the two brothers remained trapped in their cave and thus in danger of starving, two snakes carried bread to them. The rain then stopped, and Gerard and his brother traveled to a distant castle to receive communion. The miracle became known, and many people visited Gerard in his cave. Wishing to escape the fame that they were earning as a result of their apparent holiness, they decided to make a

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, nature, or a higher good, through the experience. It can lead to a personal transformation, aft ...

to the

Holy Land The Holy Land; Arabic: or is an area roughly located between the Mediterranean Sea and the Eastern Bank of the Jordan River, traditionally synonymous both with the biblical Land of Israel and with the region of Palestine. The term "Holy ...

. They spent two years in Rome, visiting its shrines and churches. In Rome, Gerard learned that there lived a holy man named Liberius at

Ancona Ancona (, also , ) is a city and a seaport in the Marche region in central Italy, with a population of around 101,997 . Ancona is the capital of the province of Ancona and of the region. The city is located northeast of Rome, on the Adriatic S ...

, who had visited the Holy Land. Wishing to visit him, the two brothers began to travel in the direction of Ancona, but Gerard suddenly suffered a pain in his head. Gerard suffered a collapse at Monte Santo (present-day

Potenza Picena Potenza Picena is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Macerata in the Italian region of Marche, about southeast of Ancona and about northeast of Macerata. ''Potentia'' was the Roman town situated in the lower Potenza valley, in the ...

), near

. Effrenaud, leaving Gerard in a cottage, went to get help but by the time he came back, Gerard had died.

Veneration

A communal council at Monte Santo in 1371 approved a day of festivity in honor of Gerard as May 25.

Notes

External links

St. Gerard de LunelBlessed Gerard of Lunel

San Gerio (Girio)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gerard Of Lunel Medieval Italian saints Members of the Third Order of Saint Francis 1275 births 1298 deaths French hermits Italian hermits 13th-century Christian saints Medieval French saints Beatifications by Pope Benedict XIV