Bernard of Clairvaux, teacher of the Church.

Holiday: August 20

* around 1090 Fontaine-lès-Dijon, today part of the city of Dijon, France

† August 20, 1153 Clairvaux, today Longchamp-sur-Aujon, France

Attributes: skull, dog, devil, book of religious rules, beehive

Patron of beekeepers, waxers, bartenders; in obsessions, childhood diseases; at the hour of death

St. Bernard, painting from the 16th century. In Troyes Cathedral

Abbot and teacher of the Church, he was born around 1090 in Fontaines-les-Dijon, France, as the third of seven children of the Burgundian noble Tezelin at the family castle. Together with his four brothers and about 30 young men, Bernard entered the 22-year-old 1112 to the reformed monastery of Citeaux, the first monastery of the Cistercian order, founded in 1098 by Robert of Molesme. Just three years later, at the age of 25, he became the founding abbot of the Clairvaux monastery. During his lifetime, he founded almost 70 other monasteries.

Bernard of Clairvaux, who went down in history as the “second founder” of the Cistercian order, maintained relations for the next four decades until his death with almost all the great personalities of his time. Not only were popes, bishops, priests, and brothers of all orders interested in his advice, but he also had contact with the monarchs of different countries. He also became known as a fiery preacher of the crusades. Vezelay is inextricably linked to his name. Bernard delivered his first sermon on Easter in 1146 before Louis VII in this Burgundian basilica. He spoke so persuasively that the king and all the nobles assembled there eagerly accepted the cross from the hands of the abbot of Clairvaux. From Vézelay, Bernard went north of the country to Flanders and Rhineland. He was met with great enthusiasm everywhere.

Despite having all the opportunities for a ‘career’ in the church hierarchy, Bernard of Clairvaux remained humble and modest throughout his life. He embodied the ideal image of a monk, resolutely refusing all the honorary offices that were offered to him, such as appointment as bishop in Genoa and Milan. His commitment to his beliefs was unwavering, even in the face of disappointment. He experienced his worst disappointment when the second crusade, which he had enthusiastically supported, was wrecked in 1149. He never fully recovered from this pain, a testament to his deep commitment to his beliefs.

At the age of 63, Bernard of Clairvaux passed away on August 20, 1153, after a severe stomach ailment. His death marked the end of a life dedicated to the Church and its teachings. He was buried in Cluny Abbey, but today his grave is in Clairvaux, a fitting resting place for a man who had such a profound impact on the Church.

What respect this monk enjoyed not only in his time but also among church scientists and scholars of all centuries is shown by the epithets that Bernard of Clairvaux received:

• The arch father of European sentiment (Friedrich Heer)

• The leader and judge of his time (Jozef Lortz)

• The religious genius of his of the time (Adolf von Harnack)

In addition, he was given the title “doctor melfifluus” (“honey-flowing” teacher) for his zealous way of preaching. Pope Alexander III. declared Bernard a saint on January 18, 1174—Pope Pius VIII. He was appointed by 1830 as a teacher of the Church.

On images from the 15th century. He is sometimes seen with the devil on a chain as a sign of overcoming all temptations. Such a statue from the 15th century is in the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome. He also wields a cross, a dead man’s skull, the instruments of suffering, a rosary, or a white dog, which points to the legend that Bernard’s mother had a dream before his birth that she would give birth to a white dog that would raise its voice against its enemies.