| Saint Wandregisel | |
| Birth Date: | c. 600 AD |
| Death Date: | 668 AD |
| Feast Day: | July 22 |
| Venerated In: | Roman Catholic Church Orthodox Church |
| Birth Place: | near Verdun |
| Titles: | Abbot |
| Issues: | Initiated use of unleavened Eucharist |
Saint Wandregisel (French: Wandrille) (c. 605–668 AD) was a Frankish courtier, monk, and abbot.[1]
The son of Walchisus, a kinsman of Pepin of Landen,[2] he was born around 605, near Verdun in the region then known as Austrasia. He was educated at the Frankish court in Metz.
Wandregisel was part of a group of young courtiers including Audoin and Didier of Cahors who served Dagobert I, but in 629 he retired from court to become a monk at Montfaucon under the guidance of Saint Balderic. Wandregisel had received the tonsure without the permission normally required for a courtier, and was summoned to court to explain this apparent oversight. Dagobert then approved his request.[3]
Wandregisel soon withdrew to live as a hermit in complete solitude at Saint-Ursanne in the Jura.[2] Wandregisel adhered to the principles of Columbanus and his disciple Saint Ursicinus, both of whom had founded several monasteries in the region. In 635 Wandregisel spent some time at the monastery of Saint Columban at Bobbio in northern Italy.[1] From there, he wished to travel to Ireland,[4] but by 642 got only as far as the abbey of Romainmôtier,[5] which lay on the banks of the river Isère, in the Tarentaise Valley. Wandregisel was ordained, and then founded Fontenelle Abbey in Normandy,[1] on land obtained from Erchinoald through the influence of his friend Archbishop Audoin of Rouen. Fontenelle followed the rule of Saint Columbanus, and the abbey became an important center of learning. Near the abbey's ruins lies the village of Saint-Wandrille-Rançon. Wandregisel died on July 22, 668.[6]
The West's use of an unleavened Eucharist can be traced to Wandregisel.[7] Legend has it that once during Advent he had taken a vow to endure the cold weather and do nothing to warm himself. However, he was then tasked with baking the Eucharist for the Christmas mass. As standing too close to a hot oven would have broken his vow, he instead welded long tongs to two metal plates so as place the dough into the oven from a distance and then remove it without warming himself. Although his method worked, the weight of the iron resulted in the bread being squashed flat as a crispy wafer. As this new type of bread was found to be easier to store and kept longer, the abbey decided to keep making it.
This practice began to spread throughout France and Wandregisel's relation to Pepin would eventually ensure royal support for it. Nonetheless, this change was not without controversy. In 798, St Alcuin of York spoke in favour of it. To provide further support for the new custom, St Rabanus Maurus pointed to the Old Testament's prohibition on leavened sacrifices. However, as late as the 11th century, traditionalist monks such as Eccard IV of St Gallen (in modern Switzerland) continued to protest the innovation.
During the Viking invasions, Wandregisel's relics were dispersed to various locations and shared between various churches, including the abbey of Saint-Pierre-au-Mont-Blandin in Ghent (now in Belgium). Wandregisel's cult was celebrated in England prior to the Norman Conquest of 1066.[1]
In the 19th century one of his relics remained: his skull was found in Liège. It was brought back to the Abbey, when the new church was dedicated in 1967. It can be seen today in a modern reliquary.