William of Notre Dame de l'Olive, St.
WILLIAM OF NOTRE DAME DE L'OLIVE, ST.
Hermit; b. Flemish Brabant, Belgium; d. Feb. 10, 1240. At first he was a baker. He went to live at Thenaillies, a Premonstratensian monastery in Aisne, France, but soon left. Touched by divine grace, he lived as a hermit at Mariemont (Hainaut, Belgium) on land belonging to Eustace, lord of Roeulx. John of Nivelles, a canon of Oignies, persuaded him to study and become a priest. Between 1226 and 1233 William founded at Mariemont, Notre Dame de l'Olive, an abbey for nuns that became affiliated with cÎteaux. Its first nuns came from Fontenelle and from Moustier-sur-Sambre. William's tomb, in the church of l'Olive, disappeared when the monastery was burned in July 1554 by the troops of King Henry II of France. He has a local cult.
Feast: Feb. 10.
Bibliography: Acta Sanctorum (Paris 1863—) 2:493–500. Gallia Christiana (Paris 1715–85) 3:189. u. berliÈre, Monasticon belge (Bruges 1890–97) 1.2:372–377. abbÉ van gorp, L'Abbaye de l'Olive (Charleroi 19:13). j. m. canivez, L'Ordre de Cîteaux en Belgique (Forges-lez-Chimay, Belg. 1926). l. h. cottineau, Répertoire topobibliographique des abbayes et prieurés (Mâcon 1935–39) 2:2127.
[É. brouette]