Humberto (+727)

Biography

Umberto was the son of King Bertrand of Aquitaine, in France. As a young man he was very fond of hunting and very brave when fighting against wild beasts. He was sent to study in the palace of the king of Neustria in Belgium, but there were bad customs there and he fled to avoid becoming vicious. He then went to the palace of the king of Austrasia, where he received a good education, married a daughter of the king and had a son. Shortly after his wife died and then Humberto was free to dedicate himself totally to the spiritual life. He renounced his right to be heir to the throne, distributed his property to the poor and was ordained a priest. He entered the convent of the Benedictine Fathers as a monk and was later consecrated bishop. Making exhausting trips, he visited the entire territory of his diocese, offering the sacrifices of his travels for the conversion of the pagans and God responded by granting thousands to convert to the true faith. He had the gift of performing miracles and always used it to do good to those who asked him.