St Bernard
St Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153) was a French theologian, abbot, and a great Christian teacher. He was first abbot of Clairvaux, born at Fontaines, in Burgundy. He pronounced one of the grandest figures in the church militant. He studied in Paris, entered the monastery of Citeaux, founded in 1115 a monastery at Clairvaux, in Champagne. His monastery was one of the chief centres of the Cistercian order.He drew around him disciples who rose to eminence as soldiers of the cross; prepared the statutes for the Knights-Templar; defeated Abelard in public debate, and procured his condemnation. He founded 160 monasteries; awoke Europe to a second crusade; dealt death-blows all round to no end of heretics, and declined all honours to himself, content if he could only awake some divine passion in other men; represented in art as accompanied by a white dog, or as contemplating an apparition of the Virgin and the Child, or as bearing the implements of Christ's passion. Festival, Aug. 20.
Wisdom & Quotes
- Hell is full of good intentions and desires - and others.
- What I know of the divine science and Holy Scripture I learnt in woods and fields.
- Listen to a man of experience : thou wilt learn more in the woods than in books.
Al-Mutamid