Victor Van Coillie

Victor Van Coillie was the son of Jan Van Coillie, baker, (Beveren-Roeselare 1797-1862) and Juliana De Clercq (Roeselare 1800 - Beveren-Roeselare 1845). He was a student of Guido Gezelle’s at the minor seminar in Roeselare (poësis 1858-1859), rhetorics (1859-1860), philosophy (1860-1861). He was ordained priest in Bruges on 10 June, 1865. In that same year he became a teacher for Dutch and French at the college in Kortrijk. In 1867 he went to work as a teacher at the college of Saint Louis in Bruges. On 21 August, 1875 he was appointed curate in the parish of Sint-Michiels near Roeselare and on 19 September 1877 in the parish of Sint-Amand in Ingelmunster.
As a literary man he published "Drij verhalen: Geeraard de Broedermoord, De ring van Aartsbisschop Boonen en 't Verzonken kasteel" (Three Stories : Geeraard the fratricide, Archbishop Boonen’s ring and The foundered castle. His contributions to Gezelle's magazine Rond den Heerd (By the Fireside) included Helfried den schelm (Helfried the rascal) and Kruisvaart der kinderen (Children’s cruisade). Van Coillie befriended Gezelle, who wrote several occasional poems for him, e.g. Van de wilgen (On The Willow Trees) in the collection Gedichten, gezangen en gebeden (Poems, Hymns and Prayers) and the poem Hij, dichterlijk begaafd (He, Poetically Gifted) on the occasion of his death in 1888.