St. Allerius

Hermit and founder, a noble of Salerno, Italy. A member of the powerful Pappacarboni family of the region, Allerius was born in 930. He showed no disposition for the religious life until he was stricken with an illness. He vowed to become a monk if cured, and he kept his oath when restored to good health. He entered the famous monastery in Cluny, in France. After a time, Duke Gisulf ordered Allerius home to regulate the religious orders of Salerno. Allerius was not able to instill much discipline into these religious houses, so he retired to a hermitage just outside the city in 1011. Many hermits joined Allerius there, and with twelve of them he founded the Benedictine Abbey of La Cava. Records give him a life span of 120 years.