Patron Saint of Irpinia, Italy
William was born in 1085 at Vercelli in the Piedmont region of Italy of noble and wealthy parents.
When he was still very young, he was determined to renounce the world and become a hermit.
He built his first hermitage on Monte Solicoli, and then went to Monte Vergine. Many disciples came to him there, attracted by the sanctity of his life and the many miracles he performed.
From among this first group of followers, a community soon formed. William became their Abbot and a church dedicate to Our Lady was built on the site. For this reason, the mountain became known as Monte Vergine or the Mount of the Virgin.
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