Saint Bernard of Clairvaux

St. Bernard of Clairvaux takes us back to the early 12th Century. He is not very well-known today but he was very famous in his time. He made a difference, becoming an outstanding figure in the history of his time!

Bernard was born in 1090, in the Castle of Fontaines, near Dijon, France, the third child in a family of seven children, six boys and a girl. His father Tescelin was the Lord of Fontaines and his mother Aleth of Montbard. Both his parents belonged to the highest nobility of Burgundy, France. He grew up in this devout family, brought up in the Catholic Faith. He received his early education in a renowned school where from the beginning he showed excellence not only in his studies but also for his piety, his devotion to Our Lady and his love to the study of Theology and Scripture.

When he was 19 years old his mother died. It was at this time that he decided to live a life of solitude and prayer and felt the call to seek entrance to the Cistercian Order, that follows the Rule of St. Benedict, living as a monk in a monastery, leading a life based on poverty and simplicity, a life of manual labour, study and prayer.
In 1113, he asked to be admitted to the Cistercian Order but he did not approach the monastery alone. He was followed by about 30 others consisting of his brothers, cousins and friends. His leadership and persuasive skills had already started to be manifested! He was received by the Abbot St. Stephen of Citeaux and a year later he was professed as a Cistercian.
He was 24 years old when, together with 12 other monks, he was sent to found another monastery in the Valley of Wormwoods. Here he founded his own monastery, he was appointed Abbot and he called the Monastery the Abbey of Clairvaux meaning ‘the valley of light’. From there he continued to travel and he founded many other Cistercian monasteries. Several times he was offered the role of Bishop, but he never accepted, preferring to continue his endeavours to promote the Rule of St. Benedict as a Cistercian.
Soon Bernard had gained a reputation of wisdom and piety, becoming known as an eloquent preacher, so that even Popes sought his advice. In fact, Bernard was always in the forefront to defend the Pope and the Church in issues of heresy and schism. But above all he remained the monastic leader, always observing the life of prayer and the Benedictine Rule, writing sermons, letters and reflections on Scripture.

At the time, obeying Pope Eugene III, he preached the Second Crusade, gathering a great army, in an attempt to regain territories of the Holy Land that had fallen in the hands of unbelievers. The attempts of the Second Crusade failed miserably and Bernard felt somewhat responsible having been the main promoter for the assembly of the army forming the Crusade.
His life experiences had taken a toll on his health. He passed away in 1153 at the age of 63.
St. Bernard of Clairvaux was a great theologian, a Cistercian Abbot, Doctor of the Church, a brilliant man, but above all he was a holy man.