Saint Bernard of Clairvaux

Saint Bernard was born in 1090, Fontaines, France. Saint Bernard of Clairvaux was a French abbot. He was also the primary builder of the reforming Cistercian monastic order. After his mother died, Bernard sought admission into the Cistercian order. Three years later, on June 25, 1115, Bernard was sent to found a new house; He named it Claire Vallee, of Clairvaux.

In 1139, Bernard assisted the Second Council of the Lateran. Bernard denounced the teachings of Peter Abelard to the Pope, who called a council at Sens in 1141 to settle the issue. One of Bernard's disciples, Bernard of Pisa, was soon elected Pope. Having previously helped end the separation within the Church, Bernard was now called upon to combat heresy. In June 1145, Bernard traveled to Southern France and his preaching helped strengthen support against heresy.

After the Christians were defeated at the Siege of Edessa, the Pope hired Bernard to preach the second crusade. The Siege of Edessa took place from November 28 to December 24, 1144. It resulted in the fall of the capital of the crusader County of Edessa to Zengi, the atabeg of Mosul and Aleppo.

"Bernard's influence was soon felt in provincial affairs. He defended the rights of the Church against the encroachments of kings and princes, and recalled to their duty Henry Sanglier Archbishop of Sens and Stephen of Senlis, Bishop of Paris. On the death of Pope Honorius II, which occurred on February 14, 1130,a schism broke out in the Church by the election of two popes. Pope Innocent II and Pope Anacletus II. Innocent II having been banished from Rome by Anacletus took refuge in France. King Louis VI convened a national council of the French bishops at Etampes, and Bernard, summoned there by consent of the bishops, was chosen to judge between the rival popes. He decided in favour of Innocent II. This caused the Pope to be recognized by all the great powers. He then went with him into Italy and reconciled Pisa,Genoa, and Milan with the Pope. The same year Bernard was again at the Council of Reims at the side of Innocent II. He then went to Aquitaine where he succeeded for the time in detaching William X of Aquitaine,Count of Poitiers, from the cause of Anacletus.In 1132, Bernard accompanied Innocent II into Italy, and at Cluny the Pope abolished the dues which Clairvaux used to pay to that abbey. This action gave rise to a quarrel between the White Monks and the Black Monks which lasted 20 years. In May of that year, the Pope supported by the army of Emperor Lothaire III, entered Rome, but Lothaire, feeling himself too weak to resist the partisans of Anacletus, retired beyond the Alps, and Innocent sought refuge in Pisa in September 1133. Bernard had returned to France in June, and was continuing the work of peacemaking which he had commenced in 1130. Towards the end of 1134, he made a second journey into Aquitaine, where William X had relapsed into schism. Bernard invited William to the Mass which he celebrated in the Church of La Couldre. Eucharist, he "admonished the Duke not to despise God as he did His servants. William yielded and the schism ended. Bernard went again to Italy, where Roger II of Sicily was endeavouring to withdraw the Pisans from their allegiance to Innocent. He recalled the city of Milan to obedience to the Pope as they had followed the deposed Archbishop of Milan. For this, he was offered, and he refused, the Archbishopric of Milan. He then returned to Clairvaux. Believing himself at last secure in his cloister, Bernard devoted himself with renewed vigour to the composition of the works which would win for him the title of "Doctor of the Church" He wrote at this time his sermons on the Song of Songs." In 1137 he was again forced to leave his solitude by order of the Pope to put an end to the quarrel between Lothaire and Roger of Sicily. At the conference held at Palermo, Bernard succeeded in convincing Roger of the rights of Innocent II. He also silenced the final supporters who sustained the schism. Anacletus died of "grief and disappointment" in 1138, and with him the schism ended." (source)

Bernard felt as if his death were approaching by the beginning of 1153. Bernard died at age sixty-three on August 20, 1153, after forty years spent in the abbey. He was buried at Clairvaux Abbey. However, it was destroyed in 1792 by the French revolutionary army. His remains were then transferred to the Troyes Cathedral.

McKitterick, Rosamond. Times Medieval World. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2003.

Guy, John. Medieval Life. London: Ticktock Media Limited, 2001.