Bertrand of Comminges (c. 1050 - 1126) was Bishop of Comminges, in the diocese of

Toulouse Toulouse (, ; ; ) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Haute-Garonne department and of the Occitania (administrative region), Occitania region. The city is on the banks of the Garonne, River Garonne, from ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. It is after him that the commune of

Saint-Bertrand-de-Comminges Saint-Bertrand-de-Comminges (, literally ''Saint-Bertrand of Comminges''; Gascon language, Gascon: ''Sent Bertran de Comenge'') is a Communes of France, commune (municipality) and former episcopal see in the Haute-Garonne Departments of France, ...

, is named.

Early life

Bertrand de l'Isle was born at L'Isle-Jourdain, in 1050, to Raymond Atton, who was a military officer and Lord of L'Isle-Jourdain, and Gervaise Emma Taillefer, daughter of Count William III Taillefer de Toulouse.

William IV William IV (William Henry; 21 August 1765 – 20 June 1837) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death in 1837. The third son of George III, William succeeded hi ...

and Raymond IV of Saint-Gilles, were his cousins. Bertrand was raised to be a knight but in adulthood he entered religious life.

Religious life

Bertrand became a canon of Saint Augustine in Toulouse, and then successively archdeacon of Toulouse (circa 1070) and Lugdunum Convenarum (taking office between 1078 and 1080). In this role, which he maintained until his death, he implemented in his mountain diocese principles of the Gregorian reform, both in regard to the discipline of clergy as religious and moral life of the laity. He participated in the reform councils of Bordeaux (1093), Clermont (1095) and Poitiers (1100). During his long episcopate, almost half a century,Monks of Ramsgate. "Bertrand of Comminges". ''Book of Saints''
1921. CatholicSaints.Info. 1 September 2012 the city of Lugdunum Convenarum - which would later take his name,

- was revived. It became a stop for pilgrims on the way to Santiago de Compostela. He rebuilt the

cathedral A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...

, with its Romanesque cloister. The cathedral would later be dedicated in his honour. It is listed as a

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

World Heritage Sites of the Routes of Santiago de Compostela in France UNESCO designated the Routes of Santiago de Compostela in France as a World Heritage Site in December 1998. The routes pass through the following regions of France: Aquitaine, Auvergne, Basse-Normandie, Bourgogne, Centre, Champagne-Ardenne, Ile- ...

Death and legacy

Upon his death he was considered a saint in that locale."Bertrand del 'Isle Jurdain", Parish of Saint-Bertrand
/ref> Around 1167, the Archbishop of Auch commissioned a cleric named Vital to write his life and sent to the

Curia Curia (: curiae) in ancient Rome referred to one of the original groupings of the citizenry, eventually numbering 30, and later every Roman citizen was presumed to belong to one. While they originally probably had wider powers, they came to meet ...

for his canonization. The first the cause for beatification was rejected, but later

Pope Honorius III Pope Honorius III (c. 1150 – 18 March 1227), born Cencio Savelli, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 18 July 1216 to his death. A canon at the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, he came to hold a number of importa ...

opened an investigation in 1218. Later the

pontiff In Roman antiquity, a pontiff () was a member of the most illustrious of the colleges of priests of the Roman religion, the College of Pontiffs."Pontifex". "Oxford English Dictionary", March 2007 The term ''pontiff'' was later applied to any h ...

beatified him between 1220 and 1222, although this is not evidenced by any document of the time. In 1309, in any case,

Pope Clement V Pope Clement V (; – 20 April 1314), born Raymond Bertrand de Got (also occasionally spelled ''de Guoth'' and ''de Goth''), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 5 June 1305 to his death, in April 1314. He is reme ...

, who was himself Bishop of Comminges, lifted Bertrand to the sainthood. A magnificent tomb was built in their honor by Cardinal Pierre de Foix, who occupied the episcopal seat of Comminges from 1422 to 1442.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bertrand Of Comminges 1050s births 1126 deaths People from L'Isle-Jourdain, Gers 12th-century French Roman Catholic bishops French Roman Catholic saints 12th-century Christian saints