Theobald of Provins
French hermit-saint
Feast: 30 June (not on the universal Roman calendar; kept in the Roman Martyrology or local calendars)
Who they were
Theobald, of a noble family of Provins in Champagne, secretly left home in 1054 with his friend Walter to live as hermits in the Ardennes and near Trier. They made pilgrimages to Compostela and Rome.
Setting out for Palestine, they settled near Salanigo in Italy when Walter's strength failed. Disciples gathered round Theobald; he was ordained, his mother came to live under his direction, and shortly before his death on 30 June 1066 he became a Camaldolese. Many miracles are reported of him.
The miracles
Pope Alexander II permitted his public veneration; there was never a formal cause.
Why that counted as sanctity
A nobleman who became a pilgrim and hermit.
- Catholic Encyclopedia (1913), via New Advent - St. Theobald
- Wikidata Q2210029 — dates, feast day and identifiers (CC0)
- English Wikipedia — Theobald of Provins (CC BY-SA)
Checked against the sources listed on 21 September 2026. Corrections welcome.