Bernardo degli Uberti (c. 1060 – 4 December 1133) was an

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Minister (Christianity), Christian clergy who is an Ordinary (church officer), ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which me ...

who was a professed member and served as an

abbot Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the head of an independent monastery for men in various Western Christian traditions. The name is derived from ''abba'', the Aramaic form of the Hebrew ''ab'', and means "father". The female equivale ...

of the

Vallumbrosan Order The Vallombrosians (alternately spelled Vallombrosans, Vallumbrosians or Vallumbrosans) are a monastic religious order in the Catholic Church. They are named after the location of their motherhouse founded in Vallombrosa (), situated 30 km ...

. Uberti served as the

Bishop of Parma The Diocese of Parma () is a Latin diocese of the Catholic Church. It has properly been called Diocese of Parma-Fontevivo since 1892.cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal most commonly refers to * Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of three species in the family Cardinalidae ***Northern cardinal, ''Cardinalis cardinalis'', the common cardinal of ...

. He came from the noble Uberti house from

Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

. Uberti served as a

papal legate 300px, A woodcut showing Henry II of England greeting the Pope's legate. A papal legate or apostolic legate (from the ancient Roman title '' legatus'') is a personal representative of the Pope to foreign nations, to some other part of the Catho ...

for successive popes in several Italian regions in their disputes with secular rulers and was a close confidant and advisor to the

Countess Matilda Matilda of Tuscany (; or ; – 24 July 1115), or Matilda of Canossa ( ), also referred to as ("the Great Countess"), was a member of the House of Canossa (also known as the Attonids) in the second half of the eleventh century. Matilda was one ...

. He is often considered the third founding father of the order alongside

Benedict of Nursia Benedict of Nursia (; ; 2 March 480 – 21 March 547), often known as Saint Benedict, was a Great Church, Christian monk. He is famed in the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Lutheran Churches, the Anglican Communion, and Old ...

(the order was a branch of the

Benedictines The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly Christian mysticism, contemplative Christian monasticism, monastic Religious order (Catholic), order of the Catholic Church for men and f ...

) and

Giovanni Gualberto Giovanni Gualberto (c. 985 – 12 July 1073) was an Italian Roman Catholic abbot and the founder of the Vallumbrosan Order. Born into a noble family, Gualberto was a predictably vain individual who sought pleasure in vanities and romantic intri ...

. Uberti's fame for holiness became so great that miracles were reported on a frequent basis at his tomb. This led to

Pope Innocent II Pope Innocent II (; died 24 September 1143), born Gregorio Papareschi, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 14 February 1130 to his death in 1143. His election as Pope was controversial, and the first eight years o ...

naming Uberti a saint only six years after his death, on 3 December 1139.

Life

Bernardo degli Uberti was born circa 1060 in

to the nobles Bruno degli Uberti and Ligarda. His paternal grandfather was Corbizo. He was the nephew of Pietro Igneo. Bernardo's father died sometime in 1085 and it was on 1 July 1085 that he made a donation to the

San Salvi San Salvi, also known as San Michele a San Salvi, is a church in Florence, Italy. The church was built in the 11th century by the Vallombrosans as part of an abbey complex. During the 1529 Siege of Florence, the church was partially destroyed. ...

convent A convent is an enclosed community of monks, nuns, friars or religious sisters. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The term is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglican ...

for his father's repose. But he also became a monk in the Vallumbrosans and he later made another donation for the repose of his father and grandfather on 26 April 1089. He became the abbot for San Salvi (1092-1099) and was later elected as the Superior-General for the congregation in 1098 after the death of the abbot Almarius of Vallambrosa. On 7 March 1100, he presided over a meeting of all the order's abbots to discuss important resolutions on both organization and discipline. In 1097

Pope Urban II Pope Urban II (; – 29 July 1099), otherwise known as Odo of Châtillon or Otho de Lagery, was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 12 March 1088 to his death. He is best known for convening the Council of Clermon ...

named Uberti Cardinal-Priest of San Crisogono. He worked at the

Lateran 250px, Basilica and Palace - side view Lateran and Laterano are names for an area of Rome, and the shared names of several buildings in Rome. The properties were once owned by the Lateranus family of the Roman Empire. The Laterani lost their p ...

until 1101 when he was appointed

to Lombardy and began to serve as an advisor to

. On 7 April 1101 he was sent as a legate to

Grosseto Grosseto () is a city and a ''comune'' in the central Italian region of Tuscany, the capital of the province of Grosseto and the main city of the Maremma region. The city lies from the Tyrrhenian Sea, at the centre of an alluvial plain on the ...

and on 4 May 1101 was with Matilda in

Governolo Roncoferraro ( Mantovano: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Mantua in the Italian region of Lombardy, located about southeast of Milan and about southeast of Mantua. Roncoferraro borders the following municipalities: Bagnolo S ...

where she restituted some lands to the pope upon his advice. He was also a legate to

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

in 1102 to oversee the election of Grosulano as its archbishop while he was later a legate to

Pavia Pavia ( , ; ; ; ; ) is a town and comune of south-western Lombardy, in Northern Italy, south of Milan on the lower Ticino (river), Ticino near its confluence with the Po (river), Po. It has a population of c. 73,086. The city was a major polit ...

on 18 August 1102. He was also with the countess in Panzano on 18 October 1102 and travelled with her to Castro Panciano in March 1103. On 15 August 1104, he was in Parma in an attempt to keep the people faithful to the pope in his struggle against Emperor Heinrich V and the

Antipope An antipope () is a person who claims to be Bishop of Rome and leader of the Roman Catholic Church in opposition to the officially elected pope. Between the 3rd and mid-15th centuries, antipopes were supported by factions within the Church its ...

Maginulf. The people, however, drove him into exile. Some sources state that he was in fact dragged from the altar of the Cathedral in a violent scene. He was exiled again in 1127 after opposing the proclamation of

Conrad II Conrad II (, – 4 June 1039), also known as and , was the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire from 1027 until his death in 1039. The first of a succession of four Salian emperors, who reigned for one century until 1125, Conrad ruled the kingdom ...

. In September 1104 he served as an advisor to the countess in both Cosogno and

Modena Modena (, ; ; ; ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) on the south side of the Po Valley, in the Province of Modena, in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy. It has 184,739 inhabitants as of 2025. A town, and seat of an archbis ...

while on 20 March 1105, he was in the

Lateran Palace The Apostolic Palace of the Lateran (; ), informally the Lateran Palace (), is an ancient palace of the Roman Empire and later the main pope, papal residence in Rome. Located on Saint John's Square in Lateran on the Caelian Hill, the palace is ...

to sign a

papal bull A papal bull is a type of public decree, letters patent, or charter issued by the pope of the Catholic Church. It is named after the leaden Seal (emblem), seal (''bulla (seal), bulla'') traditionally appended to authenticate it. History Papal ...

for the pope. Uberti tried to return to Parma in August 1105 to recruit troopers for the pope in his struggle against the German king but this venture proved unsuccessful. He was later appointed as the

Bishop of Parma The Diocese of Parma () is a Latin diocese of the Catholic Church. It has properly been called Diocese of Parma-Fontevivo since 1892.episcopal consecration A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of dioceses. The role ...

from Paschal II himself in Parma in November. In February 1111 he and

Roman Curia The Roman Curia () comprises the administrative institutions of the Holy See and the central body through which the affairs of the Catholic Church are conducted. The Roman Curia is the institution of which the Roman Pontiff ordinarily makes use ...

were removed from

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

and imprisoned at the behest of the emperor. The pope too had been taken prisoner but it was the countess who managed to obtain their release. But Paschal II decided to crown the emperor and Uberti attended this event in Rome on 13 April 1113. It was almost two decades later that he stood alongside

when a schism loomed and the antipope

Anacletus II Anacletus II (died January 25, 1138), born Pietro Pierleoni, was an antipope who ruled in opposition to Pope Innocent II from 1130 until his death in 1138. After the death of Pope Honorius II, the college of cardinals was divided over his su ...

attempted to gain control. He died in his sleepThe "Vita Secunda Sancti Bernardi" says that he was wide awake when he died. ''Chronica Parmense'', p. 515: ''His factis, stratulo vili decubans inaextimabili devotione sanctae matris Ecclesiae omnia et singula sacramenta recepit, astante capitulo, et suis consociis monachis se devotissime commendavit, et, signo crucis se muniens, manibus clausis, in coelum erectis oculis in manus amicorum astantium pioque fletu psallentium anima sanctissima illa, carne dimissa, coelica penetravit MCXXXIII, II. nonas decembris.'' on 4 December 1133 and was interred in the

Parma cathedral Parma Cathedral () is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Parma, Emilia-Romagna, dedicated to the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is the episcopal seat of the Diocese of Parma. It is an important Italian Romanesque cathedral: the dome, in ...

. He was the subject of paintings that

Bernardino Gatti Bernardino Gatti (c.1495 – 22 February 1576) was an Italian painter of the Renaissance, active mainly in Parma and Cremona. He is also commonly called il Sojaro. He was born in or near Pavia or Cremona. His early apprenticeship is unclear, ...

and

Pietro Perugino Pietro Perugino ( ; ; born Pietro Vannucci or Pietro Vanucci; – 1523), an Italian Renaissance painter of the Umbrian school, developed some of the qualities that found classic expression in the High Renaissance. Raphael became his most famou ...

made.

Canonization

Uberti's canonization was solemnized on 3 December 1139 after Pope Innocent II proclaimed him to be a saint.

Pope Alexander VII Pope Alexander VII (; 13 February 159922 May 1667), born Fabio Chigi, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 7 April 1655 to his death, in May 1667. He began his career as a vice- papal legate, and he held various d ...

and

Pope Clement IX Pope Clement IX (; ; 28 January 1600 – 9 December 1669), born Giulio Rospigliosi, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 20 June 1667 to his death in December 1669. Giulio Rospigliosi was born into the noble Ro ...

made extensions on his liturgical feast for the Parma diocese.

References

Other sources

* * *Donizo, "Vita Mathildis Comitissae", in:

External links

Catholic Online

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Uberti, Bernard Degli 1060s births 1133 deaths 12th-century Christian saints 12th-century Italian Roman Catholic bishops Bishops of Parma External cardinals Italian abbots 12th-century Italian cardinals Cardinals created by Pope Urban II Medieval Italian saints