Saint Wandregisel (french: Wandrille) (c. 605–668 AD) was a
Frankish
Frankish may refer to:
* Franks, a Germanic tribe and their culture
** Frankish language or its modern descendants, Franconian languages
* Francia, a post-Roman state in France and Germany
* East Francia, the successor state to Francia in Germany ...
courtier, monk, and abbot.
Life
The son of Walchisus, a kinsman of
Pepin of Landen
Pepin I (also Peppin, Pipin, or Pippin) of Landen (c. 580 – 27 February 640), also called the Elder or the Old, was the Mayor of the palace of Austrasia under the Merovingian King Dagobert I from 623 to 629. He was also the Mayor for Si ...
,
he was born around 605, near
Verdun
Verdun (, , , ; official name before 1970 ''Verdun-sur-Meuse'') is a large city in the Meuse department in Grand Est, northeastern France. It is an arrondissement of the department.
Verdun is the biggest city in Meuse, although the capital ...
in the region then known as
Austrasia. He was educated at the Frankish court in Metz.
Wandregisel was part of a group of young courtiers including
Audoin
Alduin ( Langobardic: ''Aldwin'' or ''Hildwin'', ; also called Auduin or Audoin) was king of the Lombards from 547 to 560.
Life
Audoin was of the Gausi, a prominent Lombard ruling clan, and according to the ''Historia Langobardorum'', the so ...
and
Didier of Cahors who served
Dagobert I
Dagobert I ( la, Dagobertus; 605/603 – 19 January 639 AD) was the king of Austrasia (623–634), king of all the Franks (629–634), and king of Neustria and Burgundy (629–639). He has been described as the last king of the Merovingian dyna ...
, but in 629 he retired from court to become a monk at
Montfaucon under the guidance of
Saint Balderic. Wandregisel had received the tonsure without the permission normally required for a courtier, and was summoned to court to explain this apparent oversight. Dagobert then approved his request.
Wandregisel soon withdrew to live 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 ...
in complete solitude at
Saint-Ursanne in the
Jura.
Wandregisel adhered to the principles of
Columbanus and his disciple
Saint Ursicinus, both of whom had founded several monasteries in the region. In 635 Wandregisel spent some time at the monastery of Saint Columban at
Bobbio
Bobbio ( Bobbiese: ; lij, Bêubbi; la, Bobium) is a small town and commune in the province of Piacenza in Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy. It is located in the Trebbia River valley southwest of the town Piacenza. There is also an abbey and a di ...
in northern
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 ...
.
From there, he wished to travel to Ireland,
but by 642 got only as far as the
abbey of Romainmôtier, which lay on the banks of the river
Isère, in the
Tarentaise Valley
The Tarentaise Valley (french: Vallée de la Tarentaise, ; frp, Tarentèsa) is a valley of the Isère River in the heart of the French Alps, located in the Savoy region of France. The valley is named for the ancient town of ''Darantasia'', the ...
.
Wandregisel was
ordained
Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform ...
, and then founded
Fontenelle Abbey in
Normandy
Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...
,
on land obtained from
Erchinoald Erchinoald (also ''Erkinoald'' and, in French, ''Erchenout'') succeeded Aega as the mayor of the palace of Neustria in 641 and succeeded Flaochad in Burgundy in 642 and remained such until his death in 658.
Family
According to Fredegar, he was a ...
through the influence of his friend Archbishop
Audoin
Alduin ( Langobardic: ''Aldwin'' or ''Hildwin'', ; also called Auduin or Audoin) was king of the Lombards from 547 to 560.
Life
Audoin was of the Gausi, a prominent Lombard ruling clan, and according to the ''Historia Langobardorum'', the so ...
of Rouen. Fontenelle followed the rule of Saint Columbanus, and the abbey became an important center of learning. Near the abbey's ruins lies the village of
Saint-Wandrille-Rançon.
Wandregisel died on July 22, 668.
Mann, Ansgar Wilder. "Wandregisel", ''Historical Dictionary of Switzerland'', Bern
/ref>
Veneration
During the Viking invasions, Wandregisel's relics
In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains of a saint or the personal effects of the saint or venerated person preserved for purposes of veneration as a tang ...
were dispersed to various locations and shared between various churches, including the abbey of Saint-Pierre-au-Mont-Blandin in Ghent
Ghent ( nl, Gent ; french: Gand ; traditional English: Gaunt) is a city and a municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the East Flanders province, and the third largest in the country, exceeded i ...
(now in Belgium). Wandregisel's cult was celebrated in England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
prior to the Norman Conquest
The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Norman, Breton, Flemish, and French troops, all led by the Duke of Normandy, later styled William the Con ...
of 1066.
In the 19th century one of his relics remained: his skull was found in Liège. It was brought back to the Abbey, when the new church was dedicated in 1967. It can be seen today in a modern reliquary.
References
Primary sources
*''Miracula Sancti Wandregisili abbatis Fontanellensis''. In ''Acta Sanctorum
''Acta Sanctorum'' (''Acts of the Saints'') is an encyclopedic text in 68 folio volumes of documents examining the lives of Christian saints, in essence a critical hagiography, which is organised according to each saint's feast day. The project w ...
'' 32 (July 5). Paris: Victor Palmé, 1868. 281–91.
*''Translatio Sancti Wandregisili in montem Blandinium''. In ''Acta Sanctorum'' 32 (July 5). 291–302.
*''Vita Sancti Wandregisili abbatis Fontanellensis I''. In ''Acta Sanctorum'' 32 (July 5). 265–71.
*''Vita Sancti Wandregisili abbatis Fontanellensis II''. In ''Acta Sanctorum'' 32 (July 5). 272–81.
*''Vita Wandregiseli abbatis Fontanellensis'', ed. B. Krusch. In ''Passiones vitaeque sanctorum aevi Merovingici 3'', ed. Wilhelm Levison, 1-24. MGH SS rer. Merov. 5. Hanover, 1910. 1-24
Available from the Digital MGH
{{Authority control
7th-century Frankish saints
668 deaths
Abbey of Saint Wandrille
Year of birth unknown
Colombanian saints