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Also known as: Poor Man
of Anderlecht; Guido of Anderlecht; Guidon of Anderlecht; Wye of Láken
Profile
Born in poverty, he was trained in religion by pious parents. For many
years he embraced poverty as God's will for him. Cared for the poor and
sick in his teens. When he worked the fields, an angel would sometimes man
the plow so that Guy could pray undistracted. Hung around the local church
so much the priest made him the sacristan; lived in the church, and often
spent all night in prayer.
A merchant from Brussels either decided to give the boy a leg up in the
world, or that Guy was a bumpkin who could be defrauded; versions vary.
Either way, he offered Guy a part share in a new project that could make
him rich. In the first ocean-going expedition in the project, the ship
sank; Guy took it as a sign that he was right to begin with, and returned
to his old life.
Walked to Rome as penance for his bout of greed, then to Jerusalem where
he worked for a while as a guide to pilgrims, then back to Brussels.
Though he never joined any order or house, he vowed chastity, and devoted
most of his time to prayer, and work as a sacristan.
Many post-mortem miracles attributed to him. An annual festival grew up in
the area around his grave, with most of the activities involving horses
and the people who work with them.
Born
c.950 at Anderlecht, Belgium
Died
1012 at Anderlecht, Belgium of exhaustion and related natural causes; his
grave was forgotten until uncovered by a horse; relics translated to a
nearby church in 1076; due to wars, they were moved and hidden in several
places for centuries; destroyed by Protestants in the 18th century
Patronage
Anderlecht Belgium, against epilepsy, against hydrophobia, against
infantile convulsions, against mad dogs, against rabies, animals with
horns, bachelors, convulsive children, epileptics, horned animals,
laborers, protection of outbuildings, protection of sheds, protection of
stables, sacristans, sextons, work horses
Representation
peasant praying with an angel plowing a nearby field; peasant with a book;
pilgrim with a book; pilgrim with hat, staff, rosary, and ox at his feet
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