Saint Ghislain

Who was Saint Ghislain?

Saint Ghislain was a confessor and anchorite in Belgium. He died at the town named after him, Saint-Ghislain.

He was probably of German origin. Ghislain lived in the province of Hainaut in the time of Saint Amand and Saints Waudru, Aldegonde, and Madelberte. With two unknown disciples he made a clearing in the vicinity of Castrilocus, taking up later his abode at a place called Ursidongus, where he built an oratory or chapel dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul.

Aubert, Bishop of Cambrai summoned him to the episcopal presence in order to sound the intentions of this almost unknown hermit, but he afterwards accorded him efficient protection. During his visit to Cambrai Ghislain spent some time in the villa of Roisin and received as a gift the estates of Celles and Hornu. He soon entered into relations with St. Waudru, who was induced by him to build a monastery at Castrilocus, his former place of refuge.

It is probable that Ghislain influenced the religious vocation of St. Aldegonde, Abbess of Maubeuge, also of St. Madelberte and St. Aldetrude, of whom the first was the sister and the last two the daughters of St. Waudru. One day Aldegonde in her monastery of Maubeuge, had a vision in which, according to her biographer, the death of St. Amand, Bishop of Tongeren, was revealed to her. Ghislain visited the saint in her villa of Mairieu, near Maubeuge, and explained to her that the vision was an announcement of her own approaching death. The intercourse between Ghislain and Aldegonde brought about a perfect understanding between Maubeuge and the monastery founded at Ursidongus under Ghislain's direction. St. Waudru rewarded her counsellor with a portion of the villa of Frameries and of the oratory of Saint-Quentin, comprised within the boundaries of the villa of Quaregnon.