Blessed William Arnaud O.P. | |
---|---|
Born | Montpellier, France |
Died | 28 May 1242 Avignonet-Lauragais, Haute-Garonne, France |
Venerated in | Roman Catholic Church |
Beatified | 6 September 1866, Saint Peter's Basilica, Papal States by Pope Pius IX |
William Arnaud or Guillaume Arnaud [1](died 28 May 1242) was a Dominican inquisitor and martyr.
William was a native of Montpellier. [2] In 1234, Pope Gregory IX named him inquisitor in the dioceses of Agen, Albi, Carcassonne and Toulouse. [3] He was also active with Pierre Seilan in the diocese of Cahors. [4] He was learned in canon law and gained a reputation for zealousness in his inquisitorial duties. [5] He raised enough opposition that he was banished from Toulouse in October 1235 and only allowed back in March 1236 after papal intercession with the count. [6] The Chronicle of Guillaume Pelhisson is an important source for William's inquests, since Pelhisson had access to its now lost records. [7] He appears to have been the most active inquisitor in the region in the 1230s. [8]
On 28 May 1242, William and eleven others were massacred at Avignonet. [9] Their murder was arranged by the bailiff, Raymond of Alfaro, perhaps with the tacit agreement of Count Raymond VII of Toulouse. [10] The murderers themselves came from the castle of Montségur. [8] None of the murderers were ever punished. [11] The Cathars celebrated William's death, even composing songs in Occitan about it, according to an inquisitorial deposition from 1244. [12] The Cathar leader Pierre-Roger de Mirepoix expressed a desire to drink wine from William's skull, had it not been crushed to pieces. [13] The fictionalized but historically based account in the Novas de l'heretje is probably referring to William under the name "Huc Arnaut": [14]
Per quels Prezicadors no se volon cessar, |
These preachers do not wish to stop, |
Catholics reported miracles following the deaths at Avignonet, but it was not until 6 September 1866 that they were beatified by Pope Pius IX. [5] William is listed in the revised Roman Martyrology of 2004, but not in the General Roman Calendar. [10]
Blessed William Arnaud O.P. | |
---|---|
Born | Montpellier, France |
Died | 28 May 1242 Avignonet-Lauragais, Haute-Garonne, France |
Venerated in | Roman Catholic Church |
Beatified | 6 September 1866, Saint Peter's Basilica, Papal States by Pope Pius IX |
William Arnaud or Guillaume Arnaud [1](died 28 May 1242) was a Dominican inquisitor and martyr.
William was a native of Montpellier. [2] In 1234, Pope Gregory IX named him inquisitor in the dioceses of Agen, Albi, Carcassonne and Toulouse. [3] He was also active with Pierre Seilan in the diocese of Cahors. [4] He was learned in canon law and gained a reputation for zealousness in his inquisitorial duties. [5] He raised enough opposition that he was banished from Toulouse in October 1235 and only allowed back in March 1236 after papal intercession with the count. [6] The Chronicle of Guillaume Pelhisson is an important source for William's inquests, since Pelhisson had access to its now lost records. [7] He appears to have been the most active inquisitor in the region in the 1230s. [8]
On 28 May 1242, William and eleven others were massacred at Avignonet. [9] Their murder was arranged by the bailiff, Raymond of Alfaro, perhaps with the tacit agreement of Count Raymond VII of Toulouse. [10] The murderers themselves came from the castle of Montségur. [8] None of the murderers were ever punished. [11] The Cathars celebrated William's death, even composing songs in Occitan about it, according to an inquisitorial deposition from 1244. [12] The Cathar leader Pierre-Roger de Mirepoix expressed a desire to drink wine from William's skull, had it not been crushed to pieces. [13] The fictionalized but historically based account in the Novas de l'heretje is probably referring to William under the name "Huc Arnaut": [14]
Per quels Prezicadors no se volon cessar, |
These preachers do not wish to stop, |
Catholics reported miracles following the deaths at Avignonet, but it was not until 6 September 1866 that they were beatified by Pope Pius IX. [5] William is listed in the revised Roman Martyrology of 2004, but not in the General Roman Calendar. [10]