The altar of S. Guglielmo
The altar that used to be here on the left wall was dedicated to the veneration of S. Guglielmo. Above the altar, with a lateral joint in the masonry, was a Carrara marble sarcophagus containing the Saint’s remains (now in the Museum); in the polychrome marble bas-relief in the centre, the saint is depicted at the moment of death surrounded by the nuns. The sarcophagus was surmounted by a niche containing a white marble statue of the saint accompanied by the wolf (currently exhibited in the Museum). Some parts of the original base altar are preserved in the mother church of Lioni; in particular, the antependium, two columns, and the mask above the niche with the statue of the saint. Following the Napoleonic edict that suppressed many monastic complexes, the saint’s remains were transferred to the Abbey of Montevergine in 1807. They have now been under the main altar of the church for a few years. S. Guglielmo represented an exemplary model of human and religious life; for this reason, Pope Pius XII proclaimed him the Primary Patron of Irpinia in 1942, for the eighth centenary of his death.
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S. Guglielmo in St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican
A large marble statue of S. Guglielmo, abbot of Montevergine, is in St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, in front of Bernini’s altar, high on the left. The sculpture is by Giuseppe Prinzi, dated 1878. In the statue, the saint is dressed in the habit of the Montevergine congregation, which he founded. He wears a pectoral cross around his neck, while holding the crosier in his right hand. Following the iconographic tradition, with his left hand he blesses a wolf crouched at his feet, intimidated by the saint’s gesture. See the photo here.
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The idea of the double monastery
Guglielmo in Goleto built a double monastery to house both men and women who had chosen the religious life. However, the text of the ‘Legenda’ suggests that the number of nuns was higher. Either way, it is worth noting that establishing a double monastery was a novel idea, positioning S. Guglielmo among the most progressive monastic reformers of the 12th century, and lifting him from the confines of a purely local dimension, where a traditional monastic historiography had placed him. https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/guglielmo-da-vercelli-santo_%28Dizionario-Biografico%29/ Have you heard of the ‘Cammino di Guglielmo’ (Guglielmo’s Walk)? Did you know it connects most places inhabited by S. Guglielmo during his life, including the main abbeys he founded? To get an idea, visit the multimedia Museum or go to the link: www.camminodiguglielmo.it
