Sovereign Spanish Magistral Order of the Knights Templar
Bernardo de Claraval
Bernard de Fontaine, known as Bernard of Claraval or in French, Bernard de Clairvaux, (Castillo de Fontaine-lès-Dijon, (Borgony), 1090 — Abbey of Claraval, Ville-sous-la-Ferté, Champagne-Ardennes, France, 20 August 1153) was a French Cistercian monk and abbot of the Abbey of Claraval.
With it, the Order of the Cistercian expanded throughout Europe and occupied the foreground of religious influence. He participated in the main doctrinal conflicts of his time and was involved in the important affairs of the Church. In the schism of Anacletus II he mobilized to defend the one who was declared true pope, opposed the rationalist Abelardo and was the passionate preacher of the second Crusade.
It is an essential personality in the history of the Catholic Church and the most remarkable of its century. He exerted a great influence on the political and religious life of Europe.2 His contributions have outlined Christian religiosity, Gregorian chant, monastic life and the expansion of Gothic architecture.3 The Catholic Church canonized him in 1174 as Saint Bernard of Claraval, and declared him Doctor of the Church in 1830.
He was born in the castle of Fontaine-les-Dijon, in Burgundy, France in 1090 with the name of pile of Bernard de Fontaine. He was the third of seven brothers. His father was a knight of the Duke of Burgundy and educated him at the clerical school of Châtillon-sur-Seine. After his mother's death, he entered the Order of the Cistercle.
This order had been founded a few years earlier by Robert of Molesmes under the rule of St. Benedict. He had only one monastery, and because of the harshness of the life they had, he had few members.5 Such a monastery was close to his paternal house.6 Odon, Duke of Burgundy, his benefactor, contributed to the construction of this first monastery, likewise, he donated land and livestock to it.7
- When at the age of 23, in 1113, he entered as a novice in the Order of the Cistercist, he was accompanied by 4 brothers, an uncle and some friends (up to 30 people according to other sources). He had previously tried them for six months, making sure of his loyalty and forming a tight-knit group.8 Convincing so many was an arduous work, especially his brother Guido, who was married and had two daughters, and who eventually left his family and entered the order.
- Subsequently, his father and his younger brother would enter the order.4 In 1115, Stephen Harding, the abbot of Cister, faced with the double problem of the massive presence of the Fontaine clan and the sudden overcrowding they had caused in his monastery, he decided to send Bernard to found the monastery of Claraval, one of the first Cistercian foundations. He was appointed abbot of the new monastery, a position he held until the end of his life.
It was the bishop of Chalons-sur-Marne, the philosopher William of Champeaux who ordained him a priest and blessed him as abbot.2 The beginning of Claraval was very hard. The regime imposed by Bernard was very austere and affected his health.6 William of Champeaux had to intervene, delegated by the general chapter of the Cistercle, to monitor the health of Bernardo by softening the lack of food and the relentless mortification that he imposed on himself.
He was forced to leave the community and move to a cabin that served as a nursing and where he was attended by some healers.10 Throughout his life he founded 68 monasteries throughout Europe. The beginnings were slow. In the first 10 years only three new foundations were established: Tres Fontanas (1118), Fontenay (1119) and Foigny (1121). From 1130 the first abbeys spread through Germany, England and Spain (Moreruela, 1132).11
Mary appears to St. Bernard. Filippino Lippi, Badia Fiorentina, Florence. He was spiritually a mystic and is considered one of the founders of medieval mystique. He had a great influence on the development of devotion to the Virgin Mary. Bernard was an inspirational and organizer of the military orders, created to welcome and defend the pilgrims who were going to the Holy Land and to combat Islam.12 Thus, he had great influence in the creation and expansion of the Order of the Temple, drafted its statutes and made it recognized at the Council of Troyes, in 1128.
In 1130, the schism of the anti-pope Anacletus removed him from monastic life in closure and began an intense public activity in defense of Innocent II.13 He was mobilized from 1130 to 1137 and made the abbot one of the most influential politicians of his time.8 He participated in the main religious controversies of his time.
He argued that the knowledge of the profane sciences is of little value compared to that of the sacred sciences. His feelings in front of the dialectics were revealed in the clashes he had with Gilberto de la Porré and Pedro Abelardo. The preaching in the medieval Church was essential and Bernard was one of his great preachers. Constantly claimed by local clergy, he made numerous voyages through southern France, the Rhineland and other regions.
He also preached the spiritual excellences of monastic life and convinced many to enter the Cistercian order.15 He was known as Doctor melifluo (honey mouth), for his softness and sweetness.16 He was usually moving on foot, accompanied by a monk, who acted as secretary and wrote to his dictate during the displacements.8 Bernardo preached in the Languedoc in 1145
Years after Bernard's death, in 1209, the Cathars were declared heretic, and several Cistercians took the lead of the crusade that suppressed this movement.17 In 1145, Eugene III was appointed pope. He is the first Cistercian pope and a disciple of Bernard. He had coincided with him on one of his travels and followed him from Italy to Claraval. There he spent 10 years of monastic life. In 1140, Bernard had sent him back to Italy as abbot of Tre Fontane, the 34th foundation of Claraval.18 His greatest and most tragic enterprise was the Second Crusade, whose preaching was entirely the work of Bernard.
There his religious ideal appeared with all his strength and weakness.18 His failure negatively affected his influence and his charismatic figure, exceptional until then with both religious and political power. In 1153, he became ill from the stomach - he did not hold food and his legs were swollen - he was very weak and died.19 He was canonized on 18 January 1174 by Pope Alexander III, being declared a Doctor of the Church by Pius VIII in 1830.
His liturgical feast is celebrated on August 20 on the anniversary of his death, being the patron saint of Gibraltar,20 of Algeciras,21 22 of the agricultural workers and of Queen’s College of Cambridge. His iconographic attributes are the pen, the book, the dog, the dragon, the hive and the figure of the Virgin Mary.
Main public interventions Organization of the Order of the Temple Main article: Order of the Temple In 1099, the Crusaders recovered Jerusalem and the holy places of Palestine. The pilgrims were attacked and robbed on the roads. Some gentlemen decided to prolong their vote and dedicate their lives to the defense of pilgrims. In 1127, Hugo de Payens asked Pope Honorius II for recognition of his organization.
They received the support of Abbot Bernard, nephew of one of the nine founding Knights and the fifth Grand Master of the Order, André de Montbard. Thus, a council met in Troyes to regulate his organization.23 In the council, they asked Bernard to draft his rule, which was submitted to debate and was approved with some modifications.24 The rule of the Temple was therefore a Cistercian rule, since it contains great analogies with it.
It could not be otherwise, since the abbot was his inspiration. It was typical of medieval societies, with hierarchical structures, totalitarian powers, it regulates the election of those who command and structure the assemblies to assist them and, if necessary, control them.25 After this first wording, there was a second due to Stephen of Chartres, Patriarch of Jerusalem, called "Latin rule" and whose text has been maintained to this day.24 Bernard wrote in 1130, the Praise of the new life
He tried to equate the new militia with a divine militia:26 He aspires to exterminate the children of infidelity...by fighting at the same time in a double front: against men of flesh and blood and against the spiritual forces of evil. Praise of the new Templar militia.
