Long before the Renaissance began in the 14th century, the Church had its own version of a Renaissance Man. Bernard of Clairvaux combined zeal, wisdom, and a personality that attracted others to him. From the founding of monasteries, to the healing of schisms, to preaching a Crusade, it seemed as if Bernard could do it all.

Bernard was born in Burgundy, France, in the year 1090. The third of seven children, his parents took special care with his education because, when he was yet unborn, a holy man had foretold that this child would have a great destiny.

As was expected, he excelled at his studies and took a particular interest in literature, which would, in later life, translate into a love of scripture. At the age of 19, Bernard’s mother died, and three years later, at the age of 22, he entered the Cistercian monastery at Chiteaux. He did not enter alone, however; all five of his brothers, two of his uncles, and some 30 of his friends followed him.

Within three years, Bernard and some of his fellow monks were sent to found a new monastery, which he christened “Clairvaux,” or Valley of Light. Typical of both his zeal and his youth, Bernard insisted on an austerity that eventually affected his own health. On the advice of his friend, William of Champeaux, he moderated his expectations somewhat, and the monastery grew rapidly. Although his work for the Church would take him to various places, Bernard would remain the abbot of Clairvaux for the rest of his life.

He became known particularly for his skill as an arbitrator and a counselor. He drew up the rules for the order of the Knights Templar and even settled disputes at the papal level. In 1130, a schism erupted as two popes were elected to the Chair of Peter. Though he apparently offended some prominent Church figures in the process, Bernard successfully intervened on behalf of the Roman pontiff, who ended up prevailing against the anti-pope.

Sometimes called the “last of the Church Fathers,” Bernard was famous for his writing; in his lifetime, he wrote more than 300 letters and treatises, the most powerful of which was a treatise on the papacy. A convincing preacher and teacher, he also had, from his youth, a particular devotion to the Virgin Mary, which was expressed in his promotion of, and devotion to, the Memorare.

The one thing Bernard did that he ultimately regretted was the preaching of the Second Crusade. Because of his eloquence, the Holy See prevailed upon him to do so and indeed, a great army, destined to succeed, was assembled and sent to the Holy Land. The goals of the soldiers and their leaders, however, did not match those of Bernard, and the Crusade ended as a complete military and moral disaster.

Bernard, whose feast is Aug. 20, died in 1153 and was declared a Doctor of the Church in 1830.

Sources for this article include:

catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-bernard-de-clairvaux-574

Gildas, Marie. “St. Bernard of Clairvaux.” The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 2. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1907.

franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-bernard-of-clairvaux

Schreck, Alan. “Church History from A to Z.” Michigan:  Servant Publications, 2002.