Gaucherius, St.
GAUCHERIUS, ST.
Augustinian canon, abbot; b. Meulan-sur-Seine, c. 1060; d. near Limoges, April 9, 1140. Having received a fine education, Gaucherius retired to the forests near Limoges to live the contemplative life of a hermit when he was about 18 years old. Gradually cells of other devout men were erected in the vicinity, and Gaucherius founded a priory there (c. 1078) that came to be called Saint-Jean of Aureil. A daughterhouse of Saint-Rufus et André, founded earlier by Gaucherius's kinsman, Rufus, in Avignon, it followed the Rule of St. Augustine (see canons regular of st. augustine). Gaucherius's disciples included such saints as Lambert of Angoulême, Faucherius, and stephen of muret. He also founded a convent for women and gave it the rule of the Canonesses Regular of St. Augustine. He was canonized in 1194.
Feast: April 9
Bibliography: Acta Santorum April 1:841–844. a. leclerq, Dictionnaire d'histoire et de géographie ecclésiastiques, ed. a. baudrillat et al. (Paris 1912–) 5:710–713. j. l. baudot and l. chaussin, Vies des saints et des bienheureux selon l'ordre du calendrier avec l'historique des fêtes, 12 v. (Paris 1935–56) 4:218–219. a. butler, The Lives of the Saints, rev. ed. h. thurston and d. attwater, 4 v. (New York 1956) 2:59–60.
[e. j. kealey]