Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 15.djvu/685

 WILHELM

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WILHERING

androgj'nous myths of pagnn antiquity, as it. cannot be traced back further than the fifteenth century. It rather originated from a misinterpretation of the famous •'Voho Santo" of Lucca, a representation of the crucified .Saviour, clothed in a long tunic, His eyes wide open. His long hair falling over His shoul- ders, and His head covered with a crown. This crucifix, popularly beheved to be the work of Nicode- mus, is preserved in the Basilica of Lucca and highly venerated by the people. In the early Middle Ages it was common to represent Christ on the cross clothed in a long tunic, and wearing a royal crown; but since the eleventh century this practice has been discontinued. Thus it happened that copies of the "Volto Santo" of Lucca, spread by pilgrims and merchants in various parts of Europe, were no longer recognized as representations of the crucified Saviour, but came to be looked upon as pictures of a woman who had suffered martyrdom.

The name Wilgefortis is usually derived from Virgo fortis, but recently Schniirer has shown that Wilge- fortis is probably a corruption of Ililge Vartz {Variz, Frntz, face), "Holy Face". This would corroborate the opinion that the legend originated in the "Volto Santo". The old Enghsh name Uncumber, as also the German Oncommer and their equivalents in other languages, ro.se from the popular belief that every one who invokes the saint in the hour of death will die ohne Kummcr, without anxiety. When the cult of St. Wilgefortis began to spread in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, her name found its way into various breviaries and martyrologies. Thus a breviarj', printed at Paris for the Diocese of Salisbury in 1533, has a beautiful metric antiphon and prayer in her honour. Her feast is celebrated on 20 July. She is usually represented nailed to a cross: as a girl of ten or twelve j'cars, frequently with a beard, or as a young woman throwing her golden boot to a musi- cian, kncehng or playing before her, sometimes also with one foot bare.

SchnCrer, Der Kidtus dot Volto Santo und der heiligen Wilge- fortis in Freiburg in Freiburger Geschichtsblatter, IX (1902), and X (1903); Idem in Jahresbericht des Neisser Kunst- und AUertumt- tereins, VII (1903) : Forster, Le St. Vou de Luques in Ro-manische FoTschungen, XXIII (1906); Sloet, De heil. Onlkommer of Wilge- forthi9, een Geschiedkundig onderzoek (The Hague, 18S4) ; Acta 56'., V, July, 66 sq.

Michael Ott.

Wilbelm V, Duke of Bavaria, son of Duke Al- brccht V, b. at Munich, 29 September, 1548; d. at Schleissheim, 7 February, 1626. He studied in 1563 at the Univer.iity of IngoLstadt, but left on account of an outbreak of the pest. Nevertheless, he continued his studies elsewhere until 1568, and retained through- out life a keen interest in learning and art. In 1579 he became the reigning duke. He made a reputation by his strong religious opinions and devotion to the Faith, and was called "the Pious". His life was under the direction of the Jesuits. He attended Mass every day, when possible several times a day, devoted four hours daily to prayer, one to contemplation, and all his spare time to devotional reading. He received the sacraments weekly, and twice a week in the .Advent season and during Lent. Whenever possible he took part in public devotions, processions, and pilgrimages; thus in 1585 he went on a pilgrimage to Loreto and Rome. His court was jestingly called a monastery, and his capital the German Rome. He founded several .Jesuit monasteries, in particular that of St. Michael at Munich, and contributed to the missions in China and .Japan. He did everything possible in Bavaria and the German Empire to further the Catholic Counter-Reformation, and laboured to prevent the spread of Protestantism. Thus it was largely through his efforts that the Archbishopric of Cologne did not become I^roteslant, due mainly to the vigorous support he gave his brother Ernst, who had been elected archbi.shop against Gebhard Truchsess.

On the other hand, the manner in which he bestowed benifices upon members of his family makes an unpleasant impression at the present day, though, at that time, this was not considered so unseemly. In the end his brother Ernst had, besides other benefices, five dioceses, and Wilhelm's son Ferdinand was bishop of an equal number; another son intended for the clerical life, PhiUp, was made Bishop of Ratisbon in 1595 and cardinal in 1596, but died in 1598. Wil- helm had his eldest son Maximilian educated with much care, and in 1597 he resigned the government to MaximiUan and led a retired life, devoted to works of piety, asceticism, and charity, and also to the placid enjoyment of his collections of works of art and. curios- ities.

ScHRElBER, Gesch. des bayrischen Herzoga Wilhelm V. (Munich, 1860); Janssen, Gesch, des deutschen Volkes, IV, V, pa-saim; RiEzLER, Gesch. Bayerns. IV (Gotha, 1899), 625-80.

Klemens Loffler.

Wilhelm of Herle, painter, b. at Herle in Dutch Limburg at an unknown date in the fourteenth cen- tury; time and place of death unknown. According to the statements of deeds of that period he was active at Cologne from 1358 for some fifteen or twenty years. In 1370 he was paid for paintings that he had made for the liber juramcntorum of the city. Also remains of frescoes from the town-hall that are now preserved in the Wallraf-Richartz Museum can cer- tainly be traced to him. It is generally supposed that a painter, Wilhelm of Cologne, mentioned in the "Limburgcr Chronicle" as "the best painter in German lands" is Wilhelm of Herle, and it has been customary to attribute to him some of the best work in painting of early Cologne, although there is no absolute proof in any one case. His pupil and assis- tant was Wynrich of W'esel, and Firmenich-Richartz, in particular, has ascribed to Wynrich pictures attributed to Wilhelm, although Aldenhoven and others have protested against this ascription. It is difficult to distinguish the work of Wilhelm from that of the school he founded. The most important paintings about which there is question are the "Madonna with the Bean-Blossom" and its variant the "Madonna with the Pea-Blossom" and the accompanying pictures on the wing-panels of St. Catherine and St. Elizabeth (Cologne and Nurem- berg). Other paintings are the "Christ on the Cross" surrounded by a large number of saints (Cologne), and "St. Veronica" (Munich). Among the works of this school is also included the altar of St. Clare in the cathedral of Cologne, in which the Sacrifice of the Mass in the centre is surrounded by twelve scenes from the youth and Passion of Christ.

Merlo, Nachrichten von dem Lehen u. den Werken KOlnischer Kansller, ed. FiBMENirH-RirHARTZ (DUs.wldorf, 1895); FlR- MENlCH-RlcHABTZ, Wilhelm ton Herle n. Hermann Wynrich von Wesel (Diisseldorf, 1896); Aldenhoven, Gesch. der Kalner Maler- achule (Lubeck, 1902).

G. GlETMANN.

Wilhering (Hilaria), Cistercian Abbey of, situated on the right bank of the Danube, in the Diocese of Linz, Austria. L'lric of Willeheringen gave his castle for a monastery of regular canons; but as these did not fulfil the conditions required, he removed them and established the Ci.«tercian8 (1146). LTnder its first abbot, Geraldus, of the Abbey of Runa in Styria, the monastery was richly endowed and placed under the protection of Eberhard, Bishop of Bamberg. After Ulric's death, his brother, Colo, completed the work .so well begim. Despite all this, the foundation did not flourish and Henry, the third abbot, having but two subjects, tr;insf erred the abbey to Burkhard, Abbot of Ebrach (] 185); hence Wilher- ing came to be known as its filiation. In the same year Burkhard sent Henry back to Wilhering, accom- panied by twelve of his monks; and from this time the aljbey prospered. Duke Leopold VI took it under his protection; monastic buildings replaced the