GUGLIELMO da MALAVALLE, saint. – Founder of the Congregation of the Hermits, known as the Guglielmini or Guglielmiti, he died near Siena on 10 February 1157. He is thought to have been born in France, at an un ascertainable date; a monk around 1153 on the small island of Lupocavio near Pisa, in 1155 he withdrew to a desolate valley (Malavalle) near Siena, where he died. Canonized by Innocent III in 1202, his feast is celebrated on 10 February. His body is preserved at Castiglione di Pescaria, while his head is venerated in the Jesuit church at Antwerp.
There is little and uncertain information about the life of the Saint, since late biographers confused him with other contemporary saints and monks who bore the same name. It is believed that in his youth G. devoted himself to military service and led a sinful life. Having gone on a penitential pilgrimage to Rome, he is said to have been ordered by Pope Eugene III, as a remission of his sins, to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. After spending eight years in the Holy Land, he went to central Italy, where he became the founder of a monastic community.