| Saint Wandregisel | |
|---|---|
| Abbot | |
| Born | ca. 600 AD near Verdun |
| Died | 668 AD |
| Honored in | Roman Catholic Church |
| Feast | July 22 |
Saint Wandregisel (French: Wandrille) (ca. 600–668 AD) was a Frankish courtier, monk, and abbot.[1] The son of Waltchis, himself a kinsman of Pepin of Landen,[2] 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.[1] 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.[1][2] Wandregisel adhered to the principles of Saint Columban and Columban's disciple Saint Ursicinus, both of whom had founded several monasteries in the region.[1] Wandregisel then spent some time at the monastery of Saint Columban at Bobbio in northern Italy.[1] From there, he wished to travel to Ireland,[3] 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,[1] and then founded the abbey of Fontenelle in Normandy in 657.[1] Fontenelle followed the rule of Saint Columban, and the abbey became an important center of learning.[1] Near the abbey’s ruins lies the village of Saint-Wandrille-Rançon.
Wandregisel died in July 668,[1] although other sources give his date of death as 657.[1]
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 Gand (Nowadays in Belgium).[1] Wandregisel's cult was celebrated in England prior to the Norman Conquest of 1066.[1]
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.