Abbot of Claivaux; Doctor of the Church
b. 1090
d. August 20, 1153
The first Cistercian monk to be placed on the Calendar of Saints, Bernard founded 163 monastaries in Europe. He is credited with a profound rise in the veneration of Mary in the twelfth century.
In Dante’s Divine Comedy, Bernard is the last of the guides through Paridiso, taking Dante toward the very face of God in the Empyrean.
Bernard is credited with writing the words to some of the hymns we continue to sing, including: O Jesus, joy of loving hearts (#649) and Jesus, the very thought of thee (#642).
