Bernard of Clairvaux

Bernard of Clairvaux (born in 1090 at Fontaine-lès-Dijon, died in 1153 at Clairvaux Abbey) was a Cistercian abbot and influential theologian. He entered Cîteaux in 1112 with about thirty companions, and three years later founded Clairvaux Abbey, becoming its first abbot. Under his leadership, Clairvaux became one of the most important monastic centers in Europe, spawning numerous daughter houses and playing a major role in the expansion of the Cistercian Order. Bernard was a central figure of his time, advising popes and kings, preaching the Second Crusade, and opposing various heresies, including those of Peter Abelard. He authored numerous sermons, letters, and mystical treatises, notably the famous "De diligendo Deo" (On Loving God). He was canonized in 1174 and declared a Doctor of the Church in 1830.