Das Leben von Gerlach van Houthem

‍DeVita Gerlaci

The Norbertinesstift (monastery) St. Gerlach was founded in 1202 over the grave of the pilgrim and hermit Gerlach of Houthem. This Gerlach lived between 1120 and 1165. His life story (Vita) was written down by a canon around 1227 in De Vita Gerlaci and is depicted on frescoes in the church in Houthem. This description of his life and miracles is partly based on memories of old people who still knew Gerlach. The Vita also provides information about the foundation of the monastery above St. Gerlach's tomb and teaches us about the political and ecclesiastical relations of the time.

Ritter-Emporkömmling-Eremit

As a young knight from the Land of Valkenburg, Gerlach was faced with the news of his wife's sudden death during a tournament. This changed his life radically. He renounced his rights as a knight and began to live the life of a penitent. A poor pilgrim, he left his native land and, after wandering, arrived in Rome at Pope Eugenius III. The latter imposed on him as penance to go to the Holy Land to do work in the service of the Crusaders. It was the time of the Second Crusade, when Jerusalem was in the hands of Christian Crusaders. Gerlach was to spend seven years in Jerusalem herding pigs at the hospital of the Maltese knights. From this he owes his status as a saint of cattle. Farmers in the Houthem area still use sand from his grave in the church in Houthem as protection against livestock diseases and hang it in bags in their stables. Returning to Rome, Gerlach visited Pope Adrian IV, who discussed with him a life as a monk or canon. Gerlach, however, preferred to become a hermit. He received permission from the pope to live as a hermit in the Geul valley and received a bull (charter) from the pope, which recorded that permission. He then founded his hermitage near an oak tree in Houthem. He did not live a solitary life there, but received visitors from the surrounding area and pilgrims passing through on their way to Aachen or Maastricht. He gave them food and impressed them with his simple way of life. Visitors who wanted to speak to him had to take his daily schedule into account. Indeed, almost every day early in the morning he went via Berg to the tomb of St. Servaas in Maastricht to pray. Even on Saturdays he was not to be found in his hermitage. Then he travelled in the other direction (eastward) to pray in the Marian Church (today's Dom) in Aachen via Rolduc.

Heilige

In der Vita werden viele Wunder des heiligen Gerlach beschrieben, wie z.B. das Wunder, dass Wasser, das für ihn aus einem Brunnen geschöpft wurde, zu Wein wurde. Dies war ein Zeichen für Heiligkeit, aber auch für ein nahendes Ende. Wenig später starb der heilige Gerlach in seiner Einsiedelei, wo er auf einfache Weise in einem Holzsarg bestattet wurde. Da seiner Einsiedelei kein Priester zugeteilt war, gab es auch niemanden, der ihm das Sterbesakrament spenden konnte. Seine letzte Kommunion und die Krankensalbung wurden ihm jedoch auf wundersame Weise von dem Heiligen, den er als Einsiedler so verehrt hatte, dem heiligen Servaas, gespendet. Seine Gebeine - Reliquien - sind erhalten geblieben und befinden sich in einem Schrein - Sarg - in seinem Mausoleum. Splitter davon wurden an Kirchen in anderen Ländern gespendet, in denen Sint Gerlach verehrt wird. Schließlich wurde sein Schädel in eine Reliquienbüste integriert, die in der Schatzkammer des Heiligtums von Sint Gerlach in Houthem zu sehen ist. Jüngste Untersuchungen seiner Gebeine lassen aufgrund des Alters und der Länge vermuten, dass es sich tatsächlich um den Heiligen Gerlach handelt, der in der Reliquie in Houthem aufbewahrt wird.

Möchten Sie mehr erfahren?

Wer mehr über den heiligen Gerlach und seine Wunder erfahren möchte, kann die Klosterkirche, in der er begraben ist, und die Schatzkammer in Houthem besuchen, wo ein Exemplar der Vita-Ausgabe erworben werden kann. Die Urkunde, die der Papst dem heiligen Gerlach gab, wurde ebenfalls eine Zeit lang dort aufbewahrt, ging aber im Laufe der Zeit verloren, so dass die erste Urkunde das Kloster betrifft, das 1202 über seinem Grab gegründet wurde.

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