William Pinchon

{{short description|French Roman Catholic saint}} {{Infobox Christian leader | type = Bishop | honorific_prefix = Saint | name = Guillaume Pinchon | honorific_suffix = | title = Bishop of Saint-Brieuc | image = | image_size = | alt = | caption = | native_name = | native_name_lang = | church = Roman Catholic Church | archdiocese = | province = | metropolis = | diocese = Saint-Brieuc | see = Saint-Brieuc | elected = | appointed = 1220 | enthroned = | term = | term_start = | term_end = 29 July 1234 | quashed = | retired = | predecessor = Sylvestre | successor = Philippe | opposed = | other_post =  | ordination = 1202 to 1206 | ordained_by = Josselin | consecration = c. 1220 | consecrated_by = | cardinal = | created_cardinal_by = | rank =  | birth_name = Guillaume Pinchon | birth_date = c. 1175 | birth_place = Saint-Alban, Brittany | death_date = 29 July 1234 (aged 59) | death_place = Saint-Brieuc, Brittany | buried = | tomb = | resting_place_coordinates = | nationality = | religion = | residence = | parents = | spouse = | partner = | children = | occupation = | profession = | previous_post = | education = | alma_mater = | motto = | signature = | signature_alt = | coat_of_arms = | coat_of_arms_alt =  | feast_day = 29 July | venerated = Roman Catholic Church | saint_title = | beatified_date = | beatified_place = | beatified_by = | canonized_date = 24 March 1247 | canonized_place = | canonized_by = Pope Innocent IV | attributes = Episcopal attire | patronage = Diocese of Saint-Brieuc | shrine = | suppressed_date =  | module = | other = }} thumb|Detail of the tomb of Saint-Guillaume Pinchon, Bishop of Saint-Brieuc (1220-1224), in Saint-Étienne Cathedral in Saint-Brieuc (22). '''Guillaume Pinchon''' (c. 1175 – 29 July 1234) was a French Catholic prelate who served as the Bishop of Saint-Brieuc from his appointment in 1220 until his death.<ref name=SQPN>{{cite web|date=1 September 2017|accessdate=8 October 2017|publisher=Saints SQPN|title=Saint William of Saint-Brieuc|url=http://catholicsaints.info/saint-william-of-saint-brieuc/}}</ref> He was a champion for the poor and defended the rights and privileges of the Church against secular intervention though this was a cause for his exile from his diocese.<ref name=EC>{{cite web|url=http://www.encyclopedia.com/religion/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/william-saint-brieuc-st|title=William of Saint-Brieuc, St.|date=2003|publisher=Encyclopedia.com|accessdate=8 October 2017}}</ref> He returned not long after his exile and set himself on the construction of a new cathedral which was still in construction at the time he died.<ref name=EC/><ref name=NA>{{cite web|url=http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15629a.htm|title=St. William|date=|publisher=New Advent|accessdate=8 October 2017}}</ref>

His canonization was celebrated on 24 March 1247.<ref name=SQPN/>

==Life== thumb|right|180px|Tomb. Guillaume Pinchon was born circa 1175 in Saint-Alban to the peasants Oliver Pinchon and Jane Fortin.<ref name=NA/><ref name=SQPN/>

He first studied in Saint-Brieuc where he received the minor orders and he served as an aide to three bishops - later his three immediate predecessors in the diocese.<ref name=EC/> He first served as a canon for the Tours Cathedral after Bishop Josselin ordained him to the priesthood.<ref name=NA/><ref name=SQPN/>

Pinchon was appointed as the Bishop of Saint-Brieuc in 1220. He was known for his staunch defense of Church rights against secular intervention and was a champion of the poor.<ref name=SQPN/> In 1225 he sold all his possessions in a famine to aid the poor and homeless. The duke Peter I forced him into a brief exile in 1228 and he spent that time living for a while in Poitiers before he returned to his diocese in 1230 after the duke reconciled with Pope Gregory IX. It was during his exile in Poitiers that he assisted the ill bishop there and helped him in his ecclesial duties.<ref name=EC/>

The bishop was noted for his meekness and for his self-mortifications. He slept on bare boards despite the poor making a soft and comfortable one for him and also borrowed corn often to help the poor who starved.<ref name=EC/>

He died in 1234 and his remains were later discovered in 1236 to be incorrupt. His relics were burned sometime during the French Revolution.<ref name=NA/>

==Sainthood== Pope Innocent IV canonized Pinchon on 24 March 1247.

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== * [http://catholicsaints.info/saint-william-of-saint-brieuc/ Saints SQPN] * [http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=2142 Catholic Online] * [http://www.santiebeati.it/dettaglio/64960 Santi e Beati]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pinchon, William}} Category:1234 deaths Category:1170s births Category:13th-century French Roman Catholic bishops Category:13th-century Christian saints Category:13th-century Breton people Category:13th-century venerated Christians Category:French Roman Catholic saints Category:Medieval Breton saints Category:People from Côtes-d'Armor