St. William of Gellone A Forgotten Orthodox Saint

If you’re a convert to Orthodoxy and your name is William, odds are that your priest made you take a new name when you were baptized or chrismated.  Conventional wisdom holds that there’s no Orthodox saint named William.

Conventional wisdom is wrong, however.

On May 28, several jurisdictions celebrate the feast of Saint Guillaume de Gellone (Guillaume being the French form of William).

St. William was born around A.D. 755 in northern France and came from noble lineage.  His father was Theoderic IV, Count of Autun and Toulouse; his mother Aldana was likely connected to the family of Charles Martel, making William a cousin to Charlemagne.  William was raised at the imperial court, and Charlemagne entrusted his kinsman with great responsibilities. In 790, the Emperor named him Count of Toulouse; later, he was also declared Duke of Aquitaine.  William served as a mentor to the young Louis the Pious.

In that age, the Emirate of Córdoba repeatedly threatened Christian lands in southern France from its base in Al-Andalus, now southern Spain and Portugal.  William became one of Christianity’s greatest champions.  He led multiple campaigns against Saracen invaders.  Most famously, in 793 he defended the walled city of Orange, achieving a decisive victory that helped reclaim the region for Christendom. 

His military exploits earned him renown as a peerless knight—fierce in battle yet guided by Christian virtue.  He became the subject of medieval epics, including the Prise d'Orange and the Couronnement de Louis.

Despite his successes and worldly honors, William’s heart desired to “lay aside all earthly cares.”  So, in 804, he founded a Benedictine monastery at Gellone (now Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert) in southern France; he placed the community under the spiritual fatherhood of his friend St. Benedict of Aniane. 

Two years later, in 806, William suddenly renounced his titles and wealth, entering the monastery as a simple monk, exchanging his sword and armor for the monastic habit.  There he lived in asceticism, manual labor, and prayer, in the very best of the Benedictine tradition.

His life illustrates the Orthodox understanding of podvig—spiritual struggle.  Having fought visible enemies of the Church, William now waged war against the passions, cultivating humility and detachment. He remained at Gellone until his death on May 28, in 812 or 814 (accounts differ).  Miraculous signs accompanied his repose.  It was said the bells of Orange rang out on their own at the hour of his death; the city itself hailed its great defender.

In you, O Father, was preserved with exactness what was according to the image;
for you took up the Cross and followed Christ.
By so doing, you taught us to disregard the flesh, for it passes away;
but to care for the soul, since it is immortal.
Therefore, O Venerable William, your spirit rejoices with the Angels.

Holy Father William of Gellone, pray to God for us!

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