The
Vita Beati Gerlaci Eremytae, written around 1227, describes his legend and life. Originally a licentious
soldier and
brigand, Gerlache became a pious
Christian upon the death of his wife and went on
pilgrimage to
Rome and
Jerusalem. At Rome, he nursed the sick for seven years. He also performed rites of
penance for the sins of his youth. Upon returning to the
Netherlands, he gave up all of his possessions to the poor and took up residence in a hollow
oak on his former estate near
Houthem. He ate bread mixed with ash and traveled by foot each day on pilgrimage to
Maastricht, to the
Basilica of Saint Servatius. He was engaged in a dispute with local monks, who wanted him to enter their
monastery. The common people in the area considered him a saint, but the monks appealed to the local
bishop. They accused Gerlach of actually being incredibly rich, his oak actually being the location of a cache of treasure. The bishop commanded that Gerlach's oak be cut down. Gerlach, however, had by this time made powerful friends, including
Hildegard of Bingen, and received protection. Nevertheless, his oak was cut down, but the bishop found no treasure and wanted to make up his mistake to Gerlach by having the oak cut up in planks and having a small hut constructed with those. Legend states that when Gerlach had done enough penance, water from the local well transformed itself into
wine three times as a sign that his sins had been forgiven. He died shortly after, barely fifty and legend has it that the last rites were administered to him by the
Servatius of Tongeren himself. ==The name==