Saint Bernard of Clairvaux played a considerable role in the history of European Christianity in the 12th century. Having entered Cîteaux as part of a movement to reform Benedictine life, he became abbot of Clairvaux and contributed to the influence of the Cistercian communities. His sermons on the Song of Songs, his letters, and his treatise on the love of God left their mark on medieval spirituality. But Bernard was also a man of action, involved in ecclesiastical conflicts and in preaching the Second Crusade. His life reveals the full complexity of a monk who became one of the most listened-to advisers of his time.
| Life | 1090–20 August 1153 |
|---|---|
| Origin | Fontaines-lès-Dijon, Burgundy |
| Vocation | Cistercian abbot |
| Foundation | Clairvaux, in 1115 |
| Works | Commentaries on the Song of Songs, De diligendo Deo, letters |
| Feast | 20 August; Doctor of the Church since 1830 |
A young Burgundian joins Cîteaux
Bernard was born in 1090 near Dijon into a noble family. He received an education that gave him access to Latin literature and the intellectual methods of his time. As an adult, he chose monastic life and joined Cîteaux, a recent establishment whose religious sought to live the Rule of Saint Benedict with great rigor.
The Cistercian movement emphasized simplicity, communal prayer, work, and the poverty of the communities. Bernard brought several close companions and family members with him. This choice reflects the attraction of a form of life that rejected social prestige while offering a demanding shared commitment.
The relationship with Saint Benedict of Nursia is fundamental: Bernard did not found a new religion, but participated in the reform of an ancient monastic tradition. Reading the Rule provides the framework for understanding his concerns.
The foundation of Clairvaux in 1115
In 1115, Bernard was sent to found the monastery of Clairvaux, in a valley in Champagne. He became its first abbot. The establishment had demanding beginnings, requiring the construction of buildings, the cultivation of the land, and the organization of a stable community. The name of Clairvaux would gradually become one of the best known in Cistercian history.
Under his leadership, many men joined the monastery and other foundations came into being. This growth was based not only on a reputation as a preacher: it required administrative decisions, the training of monks, and attention to the daily operation of the houses. Bernard corresponded with the leaders of distant communities, offered advice, and intervened when conflicts arose.
His influence in the Cistercian world can therefore be measured both by the development of the abbeys and by the strength of his teaching. He remained a monk and abbot, even when political and religious authorities sought his opinion on the great affairs of the time.
The Song of Songs and the love of God
The Sermons on the Song of Songs are among Bernard’s most famous works. In them, he meditated on the poetic language of the biblical book in order to speak about the relationship between God and the soul. The text is not limited to commenting on a love story: it develops a theology of charity, spiritual desire, and the transformation of the human being through divine love.
The treatise De diligendo Deo, “On Loving God,” also seeks to understand why and how to love God. Bernard describes a progression that gradually frees a person from exclusive attachment to the self. Love is not regarded as a mere feeling, but as an orientation of one’s entire existence.
Bernard’s writing has a strongly biblical character. He quotes, compares, and comments on the Scriptures with a mastery of the Latin language that earned him a reputation as a remarkable writer. The images of the Bridegroom and the Bride, the wound of love, and the search for Christ occupy a central place in his sermons.
Mary’s place in Bernard’s sermons
Bernard gave great importance to the Virgin Mary in his preaching. His homilies on the Annunciation and on the praises of Mary nourished Western devotion. He emphasized Mary’s response to the word of God and the place she holds in the history of the Incarnation.
This preaching should be read within the theological environment of the 12th century. It addressed monastic communities and faithful people seeking to understand the meaning of Christian prayer. Mary appears in relation to Christ, not as an autonomous figure detached from the Gospels.
Bernard’s iconography sometimes depicts him receiving inspiration from the Virgin or holding a Marian image. These scenes belong to the tradition that extended his sermons and representations of his devotion.
The monk engaged in the conflicts of his time
Despite his attachment to the cloister, Bernard intervened in the great ecclesiastical affairs of the 12th century. He took part in the discussions that followed a disputed papal election and supported Innocent II. His correspondence reveals diplomatic activity and a desire to defend the unity of the Church.
His relations with Peter Abelard are also famous. Their controversy concerned theological questions and the way reason should be used in reflection on faith. It has often been presented as an absolute opposition between monasticism and philosophy; the reality of these medieval debates calls for a more nuanced analysis. Bernard himself possessed a demanding intellectual culture.
He contributed to the promotion of the Knights Templar and intervened with religious and political leaders. This public engagement gave his life a dimension not found in the sermons on contemplation alone.
The Second Crusade and the limits of his action
Bernard preached the Second Crusade from 1146 onward, notably at Vézelay. His participation belongs fully to his historical path and should not be omitted from a Christian biography. He called for the expedition in the name of the religious and political convictions of his time, in a context marked by conflicts between Christian and Muslim powers.
The undertaking ended in a military failure that drew criticism. Bernard sought to explain the difficulties of the Crusade in his writings. This episode reminds us that a medieval saint remains a man of his time, engaged in decisions whose historical significance goes beyond the sole spiritual intention he attributed to them.
Reading Bernard accurately therefore requires considering his texts on the love of God, his governance of Clairvaux, and his public interventions. None of these aspects can erase the others.
Death and Cistercian influence
Bernard died on 20 August 1153. He was canonized in 1174 and proclaimed a Doctor of the Church in 1830. His feast is celebrated on 20 August. In Christian art, he appears in Cistercian habit, holding a book, a crozier, or a crucifix, sometimes beside a representation of the Virgin.
Bernard’s legacy has endured through the centuries through his sermons, his letters, and the development of Cistercian monasticism. The abbeys of this tradition retain an important place in the history of the landscape, architecture, and religious life of Europe.
Reading De diligendo Deo and a sermon on the Song of Songs offers a particularly enlightening entry into his thought. It allows readers to encounter an author for whom charity remains the center of Christian life, while placing his work within the contrasting history of the 12th century.
Historical sources and references
Bernard of Clairvaux, De diligendo Deo, Sermons on the Song of Songs, letters and sermons, foundational works for the study of his theology and actions.
Benedict XVI, general audience of 21 October 2009, “Saint Bernard”, monastic life and teaching on the love of God.
Nominis, biographical notice and feast on 20 August.
Illustration: Filippino Lippi, The Vision of Saint Bernard (1482–1486), historical public-domain document.
