Saint Bernard of Clairvaux

Saint Bernard of Clairvaux was a Cistercian abbot, preacher, spiritual writer, ecclesiastical adviser, and Doctor of the Church. His theology is contemplative and affective, centered on Christ, humility, conversion, and the soul’s growth in love of God.

Born into a noble Burgundian family, Bernard entered Cîteaux with a large group of relatives and companions. He was soon sent to found Clairvaux, where he remained abbot for the rest of his life. His influence spread through the rapid growth of Cistercian monasticism and through his extensive correspondence with popes, bishops, rulers, monks, and laypeople.

Bernard participated actively in the ecclesiastical controversies of his age. He supported Pope Innocent II during a disputed papal election, preached the Second Crusade at papal request, and opposed theological formulations he judged dangerous. The failure and violence associated with the crusading movement require sober historical treatment; Bernard’s role should neither be erased nor reduced to a simple modern political category.

In On Loving God, Bernard describes the purification of love from self-interest toward love of God for God’s own sake. His Sermons on the Song of Songs treat the biblical poem as a mystery of Christ and the Church and of the Word’s encounter with the soul. These sermons combine close attention to biblical phrases with monastic experience, Christology, and the language of desire.

Bernard’s Marian devotion was influential, though not every prayer or saying popularly attributed to him is authentic. His genuine writings honor Mary within a Christ-centered theology of grace and discipleship.

Pope Alexander III canonized Bernard in 1174. Pope Pius VIII declared him a Doctor of the Church in 1830. His feast is August 20, and he is traditionally called the Mellifluous Doctor because of the spiritual sweetness and eloquence of his teaching.