Bernard of Clairvaux

Bernardus Claraevallensis

Biography

Bernard was born around 1090 into a Burgundian aristocratic family. His father was a knight of modest rank and his mother, Aleth of Montbard, was of high lineage. He received a solid literary education from the secular canons of Châtillon-sur-Seine. Around 1112, bringing with him some thirty companions, he entered the Abbey of Cîteaux, founded in 1098 by Robert of Molesme in the desire to return to the strict observance of the Rule of Saint Benedict. In 1115, he was commissioned to found the abbey of Clairvaux, in Champagne, in the Val d'Absinthe. He remained Abbot until his death in 1153.

Thanks to his extraordinary personality and charisma, and despite his very fragile health, Bernard exerted a considerable influence in his lifetime, intervening in all the affairs of the Church. Notably, he took the side of the first Templars, supported Innocent II against Anacletus in the contest for the papacy (1130-1138), and fought relentlessly against Peter Abelard and Arnold of Brescia. He preached the crusade in 1146, but after its failure he retired to Clairvaux, where he devoted himself to writing. A writer of great talent, he left an abundant body of work of historical, literary and spiritual interest. It includes treatises, extensive correspondence, and numerous sermons, the most famous of which are those on the Song of Songs.

Works

• De festiuitatibus s. Stephani, s. Ioannis et sanctorum Innocentium
• Epistolae 1-41
• Epistolae 42-91
• Epistula 341 ad Malachiam Hibernensium archiepiscopum
• Epistula 356 ad Malachiam Hiberniae archiepiscopum

Browse 40 works

Quotations

• [Vg] Ge  46:6
• [Vg] Ge  9:6
• [Vg] Ge 1: 26
• [Vg] Ge 1: 27
• [Vg] Ge 1: 28

Browse 8752 quotations