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Bernard of Clairvaux

Burgundian saint, abbot and theologian (1090-1153) · France · Academics · Lived 1091 to 1153 · aged 62

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A twelfth-century abbot who wrote the rulebook for warrior monks, tipped a papal schism, and preached a crusade that failed - all while reforming monasticism from a single French valley.

Religious FiguresTV PersonalityNews BroadcastingLiteraturePhilosophyReligionMedieval Era

A life in dates

2026Feast day, 20 August.20 August 20251153Died20 August 11531135“Look at those detractors. Look at those dogs. They ridicule us for baptizing infants, praying for the dead, and asking the prayers of the saints.”In their wordsSermon LXVI: "On the Heretical Doctrines Concerning Marriage, Holy Orders, and Purgatory"

1128“Among us on the earth there is His memory; but in the Kingdom of heaven His very Presence.”In their wordsOn Loving God, Ch. 3, Paul Halsall trans.

“The reason for loving God is God Himself; and the measure of our love for Him is to love Him without measure.”In their wordsOn Loving God, Ch. 6, as translated in Leon Cristiani, St. Bernard of Clairvaux, trans. M. Angeline Bouchard (Boston: St. Paul Editions,

“What of the souls already released from their bodies? We believe that they are overwhelmed in that vast sea of eternal light and of luminous eternity”In their wordsOn Loving God, Ch. 11, Paul Halsall trans.

1091Born

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Photos 8

Bernhard von Clairvaux (Initiale-B)Bernhard von Clairvaux (Initiale-B)ACi 1953ACi 1953Bernardo di chiaravalle, sermoni, ante 1279, ad usum di illuminato dei caponsacchi (bml pl 21 dex 1) 01Bernardo di chiaravalle, sermoni, ante 1279, ad usum di illuminato dei caponsacchi (bml pl 21 dex 1) 01Bernardo di chiaravalle, sermoni, ante 1279, ad usum di illuminato dei caponsacchi (bml pl 21 dex 1) 02 iniziali calligraficheBernardo di chiaravalle, sermoni, ante 1279, ad usum di illuminato dei caponsacchi (bml pl 21 dex 1) 02 iniziali calligraficheBernardus - Meditatio super Salve Regina, circa 1495 - 439651Bernardus - Meditatio super Salve Regina, circa 1495 - 439651Bernardus Claraevallensis De consideratione - Hugo de S. Victore SoliloquiumBernardus Claraevallensis De consideratione - Hugo de S. Victore SoliloquiumBSB Clm 14098, f. 1r - Bernard of Clairvaux + David of AugsburgBSB Clm 14098, f. 1r - Bernard of Clairvaux + David of AugsburgBuxtehude, Membra (page-titre)Buxtehude, Membra (page-titre)

In their own words 10

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Bernard of Clairvaux
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10 statements, newest first

  1. Look at those detractors. Look at those dogs. They ridicule us for baptizing infants, praying for the dead, and asking the prayers of the saints.

    1135, Sermon LXVI: "On the Heretical Doctrines Concerning Marriage, Holy Orders, and Purgatory", Own words

  2. Among us on the earth there is His memory; but in the Kingdom of heaven His very Presence.

    1128, On Loving God, Ch. 3, Paul Halsall trans., Own words

  3. The reason for loving God is God Himself; and the measure of our love for Him is to love Him without measure.

    1128, On Loving God, Ch. 6, as translated in Leon Cristiani, St. Bernard of Clairvaux, trans. M. Angeline Bouchard (Boston: St. Paul Editions,, Own words

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About this person

Bernard became a monk at Cîteaux and was sent to found Clairvaux Abbey within a few years. In 1128 he attended the Council of Troyes, where he traced the outlines of the Rule of the Knights Templar, shaping an ideal of Christian nobility. When Pope Honorius II died in 1130 and the church split, Bernard argued effectively for the legitimacy of Pope Innocent II over Antipope Anacletus II. He advocated crusades broadly and in 1146 delivered a famous sermon at Vézelay that convinced many to join the Second Crusade, which ultimately failed. He was canonized in 1174, just 21 years after his death on 20 August 1153, and in 1830 Pope Pius VIII declared him a Doctor of the Church.

Country
France
Category
Academics
Type
Academic
Status
deceased
Dates
Lived 1091 to 1153 · aged 62

Academics from France 6

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