Feast: August 20
Titles: Abbot, Doctor of the Church, Mellifluous Doctor
Early Life
Saint Bernard was born in 1090 near Dijon, in Burgundy, France, into a noble family of knights. From his youth, he showed a contemplative spirit and an extraordinary love for prayer. His devotion to the Blessed Virgin was profound and lifelong, shaping his entire spirituality. Possessing both keen intellect and fiery zeal, he discerned a call to the monastic life rather than the worldly career his noble birth could have secured.
Entrance into Monastic Life
At the age of twenty-two, Bernard entered the newly founded Cistercian Order, which at the time was marked by great austerity and fidelity to the Benedictine spirit. His fervor was so compelling that thirty others, including his own brothers and even his father later, followed him into the cloister. Bernard’s arrival at the Abbey of Cîteaux greatly strengthened the struggling Cistercian movement.
Abbot of Clairvaux
In 1115, Bernard was sent with twelve companions to found a new monastery in the valley of Wormwood, which they renamed Clairvaux (“Valley of Light”). As abbot, Bernard governed with both severity and tenderness. His personal holiness drew countless vocations, and Clairvaux soon became the motherhouse of many new foundations, making Bernard the spiritual father of thousands of monks across Europe.
A Theologian and Defender of the Faith
Though a monk dedicated to silence and contemplation, Bernard was called repeatedly into the great controversies of his time.
- He defended the Church against heresy, most famously refuting the errors of Peter Abelard, who had promoted rationalist tendencies in theology.
- He supported the true pope, Innocent II, against the antipope Anacletus, helping to preserve unity in the Church.
- At the request of the Holy See, he preached the Second Crusade (1147), calling Christendom to take up arms in defense of the Holy Land.
His eloquence and writings earned him the title Doctor Mellifluus—the “Doctor with honeyed speech.”
Mystical Writings
Saint Bernard’s spiritual doctrine, especially his sermons on the Song of Songs, remain classics of Catholic mystical theology. In them he speaks of the soul’s union with God in terms of nuptial love, a theme deeply rooted in Scripture and the Fathers. His works on humility, love of God, and the Blessed Virgin Mary are still cherished in the Church.
He composed prayers and homilies in honor of Our Lady that inspired centuries of Marian devotion. He is traditionally credited with the Memorare, a prayer that continues to console the faithful.
Death and Canonization
Exhausted by labor for Christ and His Church, Saint Bernard died on August 20, 1153, at Clairvaux, surrounded by his monks. Pope Alexander III canonized him in 1174, and in 1830 Pope Pius VIII declared him a Doctor of the Church.
Legacy
Saint Bernard of Clairvaux stands as:
- A model of monastic sanctity, combining contemplation with action when the Church required it.
- A defender of orthodoxy, guiding theology with humility and fidelity to tradition.
- A lover of Mary, whose devotion to the Mother of God inspired countless Christians.
Traditional Collect (Roman Missal, pre-1962)
O God, Who didst give to Thy people blessed Bernard for a minister of eternal salvation: grant, we beseech Thee, that he who was a teacher and light in the Church, may by his intercession stand ever before Thee as our advocate. Through our Lord Jesus Christ…