On his return he was healed of the severe headaches by the intercession of Saint Adalard, a former abbot of Corbie, of whom Gerald wrote a hagiography.

He later made a pilgrimage to Palestine, after which he was elected abbot of St. Vincent's Abbey, Laon, but the monks did not accept his authority or the imposition of proper discipline.

Duke William VIII of Aquitaine gave him a huge tract of forest in the Gironde near Bordeaux, where Gerald founded the abbey of Grande-Sauve,[1] of which he was also the first abbot.

This developed into a powerful community for the advancement of the Benedictine Rule and mode of life, with significant influence from the customs of Cluny.

Gerald began the practice of celebrating mass and the Office for the Dead for 30 days after the death of a community member.