Amadeus of Lausanne, O.Cist ( – 27 August 1159) was a French

Cistercian The Cistercians (), officially the Order of Cistercians (, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint Benedict, as well as the contri ...

monk, abbot of

Hautecombe Abbey Hautecombe Abbey (, ; ) is a former Cistercian monastery, later a Benedictine monastery, in Saint-Pierre-de-Curtille in Savoie, France. For centuries it was the burial place of the members of the House of Savoy. It is visited by 150,000 tourist ...

and the twenty-third

Bishop of Lausanne The Bishop of Lausanne (French: ''Évêque de Lausanne'') was the principal ecclesiastical authority of the Catholic Diocese of Lausanne (Latin: ''Dioecesis Lausannensis''). History King Rudolphe I of Burgundy granted the Church of Lausanne ...

Life

Early life

Amadeus was born around 1110 in the castle of

Chatte Chatte () is a commune in the Isère department in southeastern France. Its natural environment is essentially made up of hills and hillsides which dominate the Isère valley. Population Twin towns Chatte is twinned with: * Roncone, Ita ...

, west of

Grenoble Grenoble ( ; ; or ; or ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of the Isère Departments of France, department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, region ...

. His father was Count Amadeus the Elder of Clermont, Count of Hauterives (Drôme) in France and a member of the royal family of

Franconia Franconia ( ; ; ) is a geographical region of Germany, characterised by its culture and East Franconian dialect (). Franconia is made up of the three (governmental districts) of Lower Franconia, Lower, Middle Franconia, Middle and Upper Franco ...

. After his wife's death in 1119, he left this world with 16 of his vassals and entered the Cistercian monastery of the abbey of Bonnevaux. His son, Amadeus, received his first education in Bonnevaux. In 1121 young Amadeus moved to the Benedictine monastery of Cluny, and his father also spent some time in Cluny to look after his son's education.Odden, Per Einar. "Den salige Amadeus av Clermont ( -~1150)", Den katolske kirke, January 2, 2006
/ref> Amadeus senior founded a number of monasteries: Léoncel, Mazan Abbey, and Montpeyroux. He was also involved with the founding of

Tamié Abbey Tamié Abbey (''Abbaye de Tamié'' or ''Abbaye Notre-Dame-de-Tamié'') is a Cistercian monastery, located in the Bauges mountain range in the Savoie region of France. History The monastery was founded in 1132, as a daughter house of Bonnevaux A ...

. He returned to Bonnevaux, where he died around 1150. He is considered "Blessed" and his memorial day is January 14. The son soon moved on to the court of Emperor

Henry V Henry V may refer to: People * Henry V, Duke of Bavaria (died 1026) * Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor (1081/86–1125) * Henry V, Duke of Carinthia (died 1161) * Henry V, Count Palatine of the Rhine (–1227) * Henry V, Count of Luxembourg (1216–1281 ...

in order to learn life as a knight and prepare for an aristocratic career. After Henry's death in 1125, and unsatisfied with court life, Amadeus chose to enter a Cistercian monastery, this time choosing the famous

Clairvaux Abbey Clairvaux Abbey (, ''l’abbaye de Clairvaux''; ) was a Cistercian monastery in Ville-sous-la-Ferté, from Bar-sur-Aube. The abbey was founded in 1115 by Bernard of Clairvaux. As a primary abbey, it was one of the most significant monasteri ...

, then led by

Bernard of Clairvaux Bernard of Clairvaux, Cistercians, O.Cist. (; 109020 August 1153), venerated as Saint Bernard, was an abbot, Mysticism, mystic, co-founder of the Knights Templar, and a major leader in the reform of the Benedictines through the nascent Cistercia ...

.Odden, Per Einar. "Den hellige Amadeus av Lausanne (~1110-1159), Den katolske kirke, January 2, 2006
/ref>

Abbot of Hautecombe

In 1139 he was sent to

in Savoy to serve as its abbot; 200 monks came under his responsibility. One of his most momentous decisions was to move the community from its location to a new site on the shores of the

Lac du Bourget Lac du Bourget (; English Lake Bourget), also locally known as Lac Gris (; ) or Lac d'Aix (), is a lake at the southernmost end of the Jura Mountains in the department of Savoie, France. It is the deepest lake located entirely within France, and ...

. “Through him, the monastery achieved a high level of spiritual perfection and temporal prosperity.”

Bishop of Lausanne

Pope Lucius II Pope Lucius II (died 15 February 1145), born Gherardo Caccianemici dal Orso, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 9 March 1144 to his death in 1145. His pontificate was notable for the unrest in Rome associated with ...

elevated Amadeus to the

bishopric of Lausanne The Diocese of Lausanne, Geneva and Fribourg () is a Latin Catholic diocese in Switzerland, which is (as all sees in the Alpine country) exempt (i.e. immediately subject to the Holy See, not part of any ecclesiastical province). The original dioce ...

in 1144. The abbot was reluctant to accept, but was consecrated on January 21, 1145. He was often met with opposition, once having to flee the city because of violent residents. It was a difficult diocese, and in a letter he tells of how his vestments were stained red by the blood of a murdered man while the bishop tried in vain to protect him. He met with the guardian bailiff of the city,

Berthold IV, Duke of Zähringen Berthold IV, Duke of Zähringen ( – 8 December 1186) was a Duke of Zähringen and Rector of Burgundy. He was the son of Conrad I, Duke of Zähringen and Clementia of Luxembourg-Namur. He founded numerous cities, including Fribourg. Life ...

to arrange cooperative relations. Amadeus' service as a bishop led to a period of spiritual and administrative stability for the region. Amadeus was particularly keen on educating the clergy better and leading them to deeper religious observance. He was often in contact with the ecclesiastical and secular authorities of his day. Letters and charters attest to his contacts with King

Conrad III Conrad III (; ; 1093 or 1094 – 15 February 1152) of the Hohenstaufen dynasty was from 1116 to 1120 Duke of Franconia, from 1127 to 1135 anti-king of his predecessor Lothair III, and from 1138 until his death in 1152 King of the Romans in the ...

, with Emperor

Frederick I Barbarossa Frederick Barbarossa (December 1122 – 10 June 1190), also known as Frederick I (; ), was the Holy Roman Emperor from 1155 until his death in 1190. He was elected King of Germany in Frankfurt am Main, Frankfurt on 4 March 1152 and crowned in Aa ...

and the Cistercian

Pope Eugene III Pope Eugene III (; c. 1080 – 8 July 1153), born Bernardo Pignatelli, or possibly Paganelli, called Bernardo da Pisa, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 15 February 1145 to his death in 1153. He was the first Cist ...

, whom Amadeus knew from his days in Clairvaux. For a time, he served as the legal guardian for Blessed

Humbert III, Count of Savoy Humbert III (1136 – 4 March 1189), surnamed the Blessed, was Count of Savoy from 1148 to 1189. His parents were Amadeus III of Savoy and Mahaut of Albon. He ceded rights and benefits to monasteries and played a decisive role in the organisati ...

, when Humbert's father

Amadeus III, Count of Savoy Amadeus III of Savoy (1095 – April 1148) was Count of Savoy and Maurienne from 1103 until his death. He was also known as a crusader. Biography He was born in Carignano, Piedmont, the son of Humbert II of Savoy and Gisela of Burgundy, the dau ...

died in the

Second Crusade The Second Crusade (1147–1149) was the second major crusade launched from Europe. The Second Crusade was started in response to the fall of the County of Edessa in 1144 to the forces of Zengi. The county had been founded during the First Crus ...

. Around 1155, Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa appointed Bishop Amadeus chancellor of the

Kingdom of Burgundy Kingdom of Burgundy was a name given to various successive Monarchy, kingdoms centered in the historical region of Burgundy during the Middle Ages. The heartland of historical Burgundy correlates with the border area between France and Switze ...

. Amadeus of Lausanne died in

Lausanne Lausanne ( , ; ; ) is the capital and largest List of towns in Switzerland, city of the Swiss French-speaking Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Vaud, in Switzerland. It is a hilly city situated on the shores of Lake Geneva, about halfway bet ...

in 1159, aged 49. He was interred in 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 ...

before the Altar of the Holy Cross. In 1911, his tomb was rediscovered in the cathedral of Lausanne, and it still contained some relics.

Spirituality

As bishop, Amadeus often went on retreat at Haut-Crêt Abbey, located 15 km east of Lausanne. His Marian devotions are famous, but he also venerated

St. Agnes Agnes of Rome (21 January 304) is a virgin martyr, venerated as a saint in the Catholic Church, Oriental Orthodox Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church, as well as the Anglican Communion and Lutheran Churches. She is one of several virgin marty ...

a great deal because her memorial day (January 21) was the day Amadeus was born, began school, entered the

novitiate The novitiate, also called the noviciate, is the period of training and preparation that a Christian ''novice'' (or ''prospective'') monastic, apostolic, or member of a religious order undergoes prior to taking vows in order to discern whether ...

, took his monastic

vows A vow ( Lat. ''votum'', vow, promise; see vote) is a promise or oath. A vow is used as a promise that is solemn rather than casual. Marriage vows Marriage vows are binding promises each partner in a couple makes to the other during a wedding ...

, was made abbot, and consecrated a bishop.

Marian Homilies

The eight Marian sermons are his most famous writings. As a result, he is often quoted as a classic proponent of Marian piety in the 12th century. The seventh homily is particularly relevant, since

Pope Pius XII Pope Pius XII (; born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli; 2 March 18769 October 1958) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 2 March 1939 until his death on 9 October 1958. He is the most recent p ...

quoted from it in his

Apostolic Constitution An apostolic constitution () is the most solemn form of legislation issued by the Pope.New Commentary on the Code of Canon Law, pg. 57, footnote 36. By their nature, apostolic constitutions are addressed to the public. Generic constitutions use ...

Munificentissimus Deus ''Munificentissimus Deus'' () is an apostolic constitution published in 1950 by Pope Pius XII. It defines ''ex cathedra'' the dogma of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It was the first and thus far the only ''ex-cathedra'' infallibl ...

'' (1950) regarding the

Assumption of Mary The Assumption of Mary is one of the four Catholic Mariology#Dogmatic teachings, Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church. Pope Pius XII defined it on 1 November 1950 in his apostolic constitution as follows: It leaves open the question of w ...

Veneration

Veneration was reportedly approved in 1710 by

Pope Clement XI Pope Clement XI (; ; ; 23 July 1649 – 19 March 1721), born Giovanni Francesco Albani, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 23 November 1700 to his death in March 1721. Clement XI was a patron of the arts an ...

. His cult was confirmed on December 9, 1903 (the group "Theobald of Vienna and his 16 companions") by

Pope Pius X Pope Pius X (; born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto; 2 June 1835 – 20 August 1914) was head of the Catholic Church from 4 August 1903 to his death in August 1914. Pius X is known for vigorously opposing Modernism in the Catholic Church, modern ...

Feast day

His memorial day August 27, the day of his death. In the diocese of Lausanne-Geneva-Friborg, he is commemorated on August 30.

Iconography

Amadeus of Lausanne is depicted as a Cistercian bishop with princely insignia who receives a pair of gloves from the Mother of God.

References

Bibliography

* ''Magnificat. Homilies in praise of the Blessed Virgin Mary.'' Cistercian Fathers Series, no. 18 (Kalamazoo, Mich.: Cistercian Publications, 1979) * Andre Fracheboud: ''Cistercian Antecedents of the Rosary''. In: Cistercian Studies Quarterly 33.2 (1998) * Hilda C. Graef: ''Mary: a History of Doctrine and Devotion''. (London: Sheed and Ward 1964)

External links

Entry on Website "Catholic Saints"

Amadeus' eight Marian sermons (in Latin)

{{Authority control 1159 deaths Counts of Clermont-Tonnerre 12th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the Holy Roman Empire Cistercian abbots Cistercian beatified people Bishops of Lausanne 12th-century Christian abbots