Blessed Gerard of Clairvaux
Blessed Gerard of Clairvaux (born c. 1090 AD in Fontaine-lès-Dijon, Burgundy, France; died June 13, 1138 AD in Clairvaux Abbey, Champagne, France) was a French Catholic Cistercian monk and the older brother of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153). He entered Clairvaux Abbey with his brother Bernard and served as cellarer (administrator) of the monastery. His death in 1138 inspired Bernard's famous lament in Sermons on the Song of Songs (Sermon 26). His feast day is June 13.
Stored in Cargo: Blessed Gerard of Clairvaux
| Blessed Gerard of Clairvaux | |
|---|---|
| Feast Day | June 13 |
| Profession | French Catholic Cistercian monk; born Fontaine-lès-Dijon Burgundy c. 1090; older brother of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux; cellarer of Clairvaux Abbey; died Clairvaux June 13 1138; mourned by Bernard in Sermon 26 on Song of Songs; feast June 13 |
| Rel. Affiliation | Catholic Church; Cistercian Order (Order of Cîteaux, OCSO); Clairvaux Abbey; medieval French Catholicism; Cistercian mystical tradition; Bernard family of Fontaine |
| Patronage | Cistercian monks; brothers of famous saints; those who serve in hidden administrative roles; Clairvaux; Burgundy; France |
| Attributes | Cistercian white habit; June 13 feast; Clairvaux Abbey setting; administrative keys (cellarer); Bernard of Clairvaux as his younger brother; Burgundian landscape |
| Birthplace | Fontaine-lès-Dijon, Burgundy, France |
| Death Place | Clairvaux Abbey, Champagne, France |
| Cause of Death | Natural death; died June 13, 1138, at Clairvaux Abbey, Champagne; Blessed Gerard of Clairvaux was the older brother of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153); he entered Clairvaux with Bernard and served as the monastery's cellarer (administrator); his death in 1138 — while Bernard was preaching the Second Crusade — moved Bernard to compose his famous lament in Sermon 26 of his Sermons on the Song of Songs (De morte fratris Gerardi), one of the most moving pieces of medieval Christian literature |
| Primary Shrine | Clairvaux Abbey (now a prison facility at Bar-sur-Aube, Aube, France); June 13 feast |
| Liturgical Class | Not in universal Roman calendar; June 13 feast in the Cistercian Order and at Clairvaux |
| Historic Class | Not in 1962 calendar |
Biography
Gerard of Clairvaux was born c. 1090 in Fontaine-lès-Dijon, Burgundy, France, into the noble family of Tescelin Sorrel and Blessed Aleth of Montbard. He was the older brother of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux.
Around 1112-1113, his younger brother Bernard persuaded him and their other brothers to leave the world and enter the Cistercian monastery of Cîteaux. When Bernard founded Clairvaux Abbey in 1115, Gerard joined him there and served as the monastery's cellarer — its chief practical administrator.
He died June 13, 1138, at Clairvaux. His death moved Bernard to compose his celebrated lament in Sermon 26 of his Sermons on the Song of Songs (De morte fratris Gerardi), one of the most moving personal texts in medieval literature.
He is venerated as a blessed in the Cistercian tradition. His feast day is June 13.
Significant locations
Legend
Birth location: Fontaine-lès-Dijon, Burgundy, France
Death location: Clairvaux Abbey, Champagne, France
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Feast day
June 13
Veneration
Blessed Gerard of Clairvaux (c. 1090–1138) was a Cistercian monk and older brother of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux who served as cellarer of Clairvaux Abbey; his death in 1138 inspired Bernard's famous lament in Sermon 26 on the Song of Songs. Feast June 13.
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