Saint Bernard of 5Clairvaux3 URGATORY 1 0 9 0 - 1 1 P aint Bernard of Clairvaux was born and treaties including “De gradibus at Dijon in 1090. As a child he entered humilitatis et superbiae”, “De gratia et the school of the Canons of Châtillon, libero arbitrio”, “De diligendo Deo”. The Sone of the most important in Burgundy, tradition of ending the day of prayer with where he studied Latin writers and the the Salve Regina derives from one of his Church Fathers. After the death of his own insights. His devotion was centered mother, to whom he was very attached, on the Infant Jesus and the Virgin Mary. in 1107, he had a crisis which made him His witness was an example for a host feel distant from that world of “women, of monks. At Bernard's death in 1153, knights, arms, and lovers” which was the Cistercian Order counted already typical of his family, instead he had a 300 monasteries. Alexander III proclaimed strong desire to seek and find God in him Saint in 1174 and Pius VIII declared the peace and quiet of the monastery. At him Doctor of the Church in 1830. twenty-two he entered the Cistercian monastery founded by Robert of Solesmes Regarding the Souls of Purgatory, at Citeaux. Bernard imitated the idea that Saint Bernard recounted an episode that had inspired Saint Robert of Molesme, occurred in a monastery. As they were Alberic and Stephen. The three monks celebrating the funeral of a monk, an left Molesme in 1098 to go to a solitary elderly friar heard a group of demons place 20 kilometers from Dijon, a place sneer satisfied: “Finally! Even in this place called Cistercium, to follow a more simple we were able to find a soul which will belong and rigorous lifestyle, regaining the spirit to us! The following night the deceased and the letter of the ancient Benedictine appeared to the monk and led him to see Rule. At twenty-five he was sent to found a precipice filled with smoke and flames: a new monastery at Clairvaux, from which ‘See, the deceased told him, here is the will derive the Italian name Chiaravalle. place where the demons furious towards Bernard was austere but was able to me have the permission from God to attract dozens of youth who wanted to hurl me continuously and retrieve me follow him on the road to evangelical from the abyss without leaving me one perfection. Soon the Cistercians spread moment of respite.’ At daybreak, the throughout Europe. He was put in charge elderly monk went to Saint Bernard to of delicate and challenging missions for tell him of the vision he experienced. the good of the Church. He crossed The Saint confessed of having had Europe to endorse the legitimate Pope himself a similar vision and called all Innocent II against the antipope. In 1145 the monks to a chapter. He reported one of his disciples was elected Pontiff to all the news of the deceased monk taking the name Eugene III, who would and entrusted him to their prayers and put Bernard in charge to preach the supplications.” second crusade. He wrote several works © Associazione Carlo Acutis.