A Saint’s Origins

This chapter traces the origins of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux. The site of Bernard's birth is a hill on the outskirts of Dijon, the capital of Burgundy. He was the third of seven children born to Tescelin Sorus and Aleth of Montbard. Bernard's father and brothers took their place in the world in order to serve secular lords, especially the Duke of Burgundy. Later in life, Bernard seems to have shown no aversion to the military persuasion. He helped invent a way of life that combined monasticism and knighthood. Praying at night and fighting during the day became, thanks to Bernard, a commendable religious vocation. Bernard's attachment to knights, in the hope of their becoming monks, is also shown in a story about how some young knights found their way to Clairvaux. Meanwhile, the story of Bernard's participation in the mystery of Christ's birth indicates that as a child he took part with great intensity in the liturgical year and made Christian symbols an integral part of his life.