GUIGONE I (GUIGUES). – Venerable prior general of the Carthusians, born at St-Romain-sur-Château (diocese of Valence) in 1084. Destined for an ecclesiastical career, he soon entered the Carthusian Order, and by 1110 had already been made prior of the Grande Chartreuse. Following his example, many embraced the Carthusian life, and he was therefore compelled to found new charterhouses in various dioceses of France. The governance of the Grande Chartreuse, which he built from the ground up, and his vigilant care of the other foundations did not prevent him from devoting himself to study.
He wrote, in Latin, the Consuetudines of the Carthusians, in which he collected the rules that St Bruno had given orally; the Life of St Hugues, bishop of Grenoble, at the suggestion of Innocent II; the Treatise on the Contemplative Life; the Treatise on Truth and Peace; and numerous letters.
He died with a reputation for holiness on 27 July 1137.