Wandregisel
Encyclopedia
Saint Wandregisel (ca. 600–668 AD) was a Frankish
courtier, monk, and abbot. The son of Waltchis, himself a kinsman of Pepin of Landen, he was born near Verdun
in the region then known as Austrasia
.
Wandregisel was a courtier
during the reign of Dagobert I
who was married, before he and his wife decided to separate in order to join the religious life. In 629, he became a monk at Montfaucon
under the guidance of Saint Balderic
, but soon withdrew to live as a hermit
in complete solitude at Saint-Ursanne
in the Jura
. Wandregisel adhered to the principles of Saint Columban
and Columban's disciple Saint Ursicinus
, both of whom had founded several monasteries in the region. Wandregisel then spent some time at the monastery of Saint Columban at Bobbio
in northern Italy
. From there, he wished to travel to Ireland, but got only as far as the abbey of Romainmôtier, which lay on the banks of the Isère River
, in the Tarentaise Valley
.
Wandregisel was ordained
by Saint Audoin, archbishop of Rouen
, and then founded the abbey of Fontenelle
in Normandy
in 657. Fontenelle followed the rule of Saint Columban, and the abbey became an important center of learning. Near the abbey’s ruins lies the village of Saint-Wandrille-Rançon
.
Wandregisel died in July 668, although other sources give his date of death as 657.
(Nowadays in Belgium). Wandregisel's cult was celebrated in England
prior to the Norman Conquest of 1066.
In the 19th c. 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.
Franks
The Franks were a confederation of Germanic tribes first attested in the third century AD as living north and east of the Lower Rhine River. From the third to fifth centuries some Franks raided Roman territory while other Franks joined the Roman troops in Gaul. Only the Salian Franks formed a...
courtier, monk, and abbot. The son of Waltchis, himself a kinsman of Pepin of Landen, he was born near Verdun
Verdun
Verdun is a city in the Meuse department in Lorraine in north-eastern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department.Verdun is the biggest city in Meuse, although the capital of the department is the slightly smaller city of Bar-le-Duc.- History :...
in the region then known as Austrasia
Austrasia
Austrasia formed the northeastern portion of the Kingdom of the Merovingian Franks, comprising parts of the territory of present-day eastern France, western Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. Metz served as its capital, although some Austrasian kings ruled from Rheims, Trier, and...
.
Wandregisel was a courtier
Courtier
A courtier is a person who is often in attendance at the court of a king or other royal personage. Historically the court was the centre of government as well as the residence of the monarch, and social and political life were often completely mixed together...
during the reign of Dagobert I
Dagobert I
Dagobert I was the king of Austrasia , king of all the Franks , and king of Neustria and Burgundy . He was the last Merovingian dynast to wield any real royal power...
who was married, before he and his wife decided to separate in order to join the religious life. In 629, he became a monk at Montfaucon
Montfaucon-d'Argonne
Montfaucon-d'Argonne is a commune in the Meuse department in Lorraine in north-eastern France.-See also:* Montfaucon American Monument* Communes of the Meuse department...
under the guidance of Saint Balderic
Balderic, Abbot of Montfaucon
Saint Balderic was the founding abbot of Montfaucon.Balderic and his sister Beuve lived in the 7th century in France. They were reputed to be children of Sigebert I or Sigebert II, king of Austrasia, based on oral tradition recorded by Flodoard, Canon of Reims, three centuries later...
, but soon withdrew to live as a hermit
Hermit
A hermit is a person who lives, to some degree, in seclusion from society.In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a Christian who lives the eremitic life out of a religious conviction, namely the Desert Theology of the Old Testament .In the...
in complete solitude at Saint-Ursanne
Saint-Ursanne
Saint Ursanne is a city and a former municipality of the district of Porrentruy in the canton of Jura, Switzerland which has preserved its medieval character. The city contains many historical curiosities, including collegiate churches, a cloister, ruins of a castle, and a hermitage...
in the Jura
Jura mountains
The Jura Mountains are a small mountain range located north of the Alps, separating the Rhine and Rhone rivers and forming part of the watershed of each...
. Wandregisel adhered to the principles of Saint Columban
Columbanus
Columbanus was an Irish missionary notable for founding a number of monasteries on the European continent from around 590 in the Frankish and Lombard kingdoms, most notably Luxeuil and Bobbio , and stands as an exemplar of Irish missionary activity in early medieval Europe.He spread among the...
and Columban's disciple Saint Ursicinus
Ursicinus of Saint-Ursanne
Saint Ursicinus was an Irish missionary andhermit in the Jura region.A vita of his is preserved in a redaction of the 11th century. According to this account, he was a disciple of Saint Columbanus at Luxeuil who followed his master when he was banished from Burgundy in 610, but then retired as a...
, both of whom had founded several monasteries in the region. Wandregisel then spent some time at the monastery of Saint Columban at Bobbio
Bobbio Abbey
Bobbio Abbey is a monastery founded by Irish Saint Columbanus in 614, around which later grew up the town of Bobbio, in the province of Piacenza, Emilia-Romagna, Italy. It is dedicated to Saint Columbanus...
in northern Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. From there, he wished to travel to Ireland, but got only as far as the abbey of Romainmôtier, which lay on the banks of the Isère River
Isère River
The Isère is a 286 km long river in southeastern France, in the Rhône-Alpes région. Its source is in the Alps on the border with Italy, near the ski resort Val d'Isère. It flows into the Rhône River in Pont-de-l'Isère, a few km north of Valence...
, in the Tarentaise Valley
Tarentaise Valley
The Tarentaise Valley 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 capital of the pre-Roman Centrones tribe.-Description:...
.
Wandregisel was ordained
Ordination
In general religious use, ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart as clergy to perform various religious rites and ceremonies. The process and ceremonies of ordination itself varies by religion and denomination. One who is in preparation for, or who is...
by Saint Audoin, archbishop of Rouen
Archbishop of Rouen
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Rouen is an Archdiocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in France. As one of the fifteen Archbishops of France, the ecclesiastical province of the archdiocese comprises the majority of Normandy....
, and then founded the abbey of Fontenelle
Fontenelle Abbey
Fontenelle Abbey or the Abbey of St. Wandrille is a Benedictine monastery in the commune of Saint-Wandrille-Rançon near Caudebec-en-Caux in Seine-Maritime, Normandy, France.-First foundation:...
in Normandy
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
in 657. Fontenelle followed the rule of Saint Columban, and the abbey became an important center of learning. Near the abbey’s ruins lies the village of Saint-Wandrille-Rançon
Saint-Wandrille-Rançon
Saint-Wandrille-Rançon is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Haute-Normandie region in north west France.-Geography:A village of farming and forestry situated by the banks of the Seine, some south of Rouen at the junction of the D22, D33 and the D982 roads. Until 1960, the Pont de...
.
Wandregisel died in July 668, although other sources give his date of death as 657.
Veneration
During the Viking invasions, Wandregisel's relics were dispersed to various locations and shared between various churches, including the abbey of Saint-Pierre-au-Mont-Blandin in GandGand
Gand can refer to* Gand is a fictional planet within the Star Wars galaxy.* Gands are the human colonists of a planet in the novel The Great Explosion by Eric Frank Russell*Gand is the French name for Ghent, a city located in East Flanders, Belgium...
(Nowadays in Belgium). Wandregisel's cult was celebrated in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
prior to the Norman Conquest of 1066.
In the 19th c. 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.
Primary sources
- Miracula Sancti Wandregisili abbatis Fontanellensis. In Acta SanctorumActa SanctorumActa Sanctorum 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. It begins with two January volumes, published in 1643, and ended with the Propylaeum to...
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. MGHMonumenta Germaniae HistoricaThe Monumenta Germaniae Historica is a comprehensive series of carefully edited and published sources for the study of German history from the end of the Roman Empire to 1500.The society sponsoring the series was established by the Prussian reformer Heinrich Friedrich Karl Freiherr vom...
SS rer. Merov. 5. Hanover, 1910. 1-24. Available from the Digital MGH.