Walfrid, or Galfrido

della Gherardesca The House of Gherardesca was an ancient Italian noble family of the Republic of Pisa, of Longobard origin. The family likely dates back as early as the 11th century. They were one of the most prominent families initially in Pisa, then of Volte ...

, was an eighth-century

saint In Christianity, Christian belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of sanctification in Christianity, holiness, imitation of God, likeness, or closeness to God in Christianity, God. However, the use of the ...

from

Pisa Pisa ( ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Tuscany, Central Italy, straddling the Arno just before it empties into the Ligurian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa. Although Pisa is known worldwide for the Leaning Tow ...

, Italy.

Life and death

Walfrid was a prosperous and honored citizen of Pisa. Though he had six children with his long-time wife, Thesia, they conducted a dutifully religious lifestyle. There came a time when, drawn to a closer service of God, they each felt called to monastic life. Together with two friends of similar views, he co-founded the Abbey of Palazzuolo on

Monte Verde Monte Verde is a Paleolithic archaeological site in the Llanquihue Province in southern Chile, located near Puerto Montt, Los Lagos Region. The site is primarily known for Monte Verde II, dating to approximately 14,550–14,500 calibrated years ...

. His wife and one of his daughters took the veil in a

convent A convent is an enclosed community of monks, nuns, friars or religious sisters. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The term is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglican ...

he built nearby. His favorite son, Gimfrid, caused Walfrid a great deal of trouble when he ran away from the monastery. Caught and permanently injured in his right hand, a penitent Gimfrid was returned to the monastery, which he presided over after Walfrid's death. Walfrid died in 765 AD and was sainted in 1861. His

feast day The calendar of saints is the traditional Christian method of organizing a liturgical year by associating each day with one or more saints and referring to the day as the feast day or feast of said saint. The word "feast" in this context does n ...

is February 15.

References

{{authority control Italian saints