Giraldus of Salles, Bl.

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GIRALDUS OF SALLES, BL.

Monastic founder; b. Salles, Bergerac, France, c. 1070; d. abbey of Châtelliers, near Poitiers, France, April 20, 1120. He was a canon regular of the monastery of St. Avit-le-Senieur at Bergerac near his home, and late in life he became a student of Robert of Arbrissel in the Diocese of Périgueux. With great reforming zeal, he founded seven monasteries for men and two for women, most notably Notre Dame des Châtelliers, where he was buried. Although some miracles were reported after his death, his feast is not widely celebrated. The Acta Sanctorum [Oct. 10 (1869) 249267] includes details on each of the monastic foundations and a laudatory 13th-century biography.

Feast: Oct. 23.

Bibliography: j. lavialle, Vie du Bx. Géraud de Sales (1907). a. borst, Lexikon für Theologie und Kirche 2 4:900. m. b. brard, Catholicisme 4:1874.

[e. j. kealey]