Berthold of Garsten,

O.S.B. The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, they ...

, also known as Berthold de Rachez ( 1060 – 27 July 1142), was a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

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 ...

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...

and a

monk A monk (; from , ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a man who is a member of a religious order and lives in a monastery. A monk usually lives his life in prayer and contemplation. The concept is ancient and can be seen in many reli ...

of the

Order of Saint Benedict The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...

. He was a noted

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 a major monastic house in the region, and is revered for the holiness of his life by the Catholic Church.

Life

Berthold de Ranchez was born around 1060 at Lake Constance in Austria. He presumably belonged to the family of the bailiffs of Regensburg and is believed to have been descended from the house of the

Count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

s of Bogen, who traditionally also held the office of ''

Advocatus An , sometimes simply advocate, (German, ), or (French, ), was a type of medieval office holder, particularly important in the Holy Roman Empire, who was delegated some of the powers and functions of a major feudal lord, or for an institutio ...

'' ('' Domvogt'') of the Regensburg Cathedral."Berthold von Garsten", Ökumenische Heiligenlexikon
/ref> One version of his biography states that he married, but after a short marriage his wife died and he became a widower at the age of thirty. He immediately joined the Benedictines (Ordo Sancti Benedicti - OSB) in

Sankt Blasien St. Blasien (; sometimes spelled in full as Sankt Blasien) is a small town located in the Waldshut (district), Waldshut district in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated in the Southern Black Forest, 17 km northeast of Waldshut-Tieng ...

in the Black Forest. Another version says that he entered this monastery at a very young age and does not mention any marriage. He became a librarian and in 1094 subprior in Sankt Blasien."Heiliger Berthold", Diözese Linz
/ref> His time at Sankt Blasien was very important, as it brought him into contact with the

Cluniac reform The Cluniac Reforms (also called the Benedictine Reform) were a series of changes within medieval monasticism in the Western Church focused on restoring the traditional monastic life, encouraging art, and caring for the poor. The movement began wit ...

, which had made only sporadic progress in the German Empire. In 1107 he was called by Abbot Hartmann of

Göttweig Abbey Göttweig Abbey () is a Benedictine monastery near Krems in Lower Austria. It was founded in 1083 by Altmann, Bishop of Passau. In the middle ages the abbey was a seat of learning with a library and a monastic school. The abbey went through ...

to become the new

prior The term prior may refer to: * Prior (ecclesiastical), the head of a priory (monastery) * Prior convictions, the life history and previous convictions of a suspect or defendant in a criminal case * Prior probability, in Bayesian statistics * Prio ...

. The following year,

Margrave Margrave was originally the Middle Ages, medieval title for the military commander assigned to maintain the defence of one of the border provinces of the Holy Roman Empire or a monarchy, kingdom. That position became hereditary in certain Feudal ...

Ottokar II of Styria Ottokar II (died 28 November 1122) was Margrave of Styria. He was the son of Ottokar I and grandfather of Ottokar III, from the dynasty of the Otakars. In the investiture dispute, he sided with the pope, which resulted in a battle with his br ...

entrusted Berthold with the development of

Garsten Abbey Garsten Abbey () is a former Order of St. Benedict, Benedictine monastery located in Garsten near Steyr in Upper Austria. Since 1851, the former monastery buildings have accommodated a prison. History The abbey was founded in 1080–1082 by Otto ...

, which Ottokar had founded in 1082 but was in the process of transforming from a community of

secular canons Canon () is a Christian title usually used to refer to a member of certain bodies in subject to an ecclesiastical rule. Originally, a canon was a cleric living with others in a clergy house or, later, in one of the houses within the precinct of ...

to a monastic one, living under the

Rule of Saint Benedict The ''Rule of Saint Benedict'' () is a book of precepts written in Latin by St. Benedict of Nursia (c. AD 480–550) for monks living communally under the authority of an abbot. The spirit of Saint Benedict's Rule is summed up in the motto of th ...

. Berthold soon established a rigorous discipline and reform along Cluniac lines."Bienheureux Berthold de Rachez", Nominis
/ref> Initially under the rule of Göttweig Abbey, the new community was declared independent in 1111, and Berthold was installed as the new community's first

. In this post he distinguished himself by his piety, kindness to all who approached him for help or counsel, devotion to his pastoral duties and organizational talent. In Garsten he founded a hospice for guests and a hospital for the poor, and his kindness to the poor and pilgrims became a strain on the resources of the young monastery which led to stories of how God miraculously intervened to keep it operating. Berthold had a reputation as a prophet and miracle worker. According to legend, when there was insufficient fish for meals on feast days, by his blessing enough was found to be provided. With skillful administration, he increased the monastery's properties, thanks to gifts and testamentary gifts from private individuals. He introduced the

Hirsau Reforms William of Hirsau (; – 5 July 1091) was a Benedictine abbot and monastic reformer. He was abbot of Hirsau Abbey, for whom he created the ''Constitutiones Hirsaugienses'', based on the uses of Cluny, and was the father of the Hirsau Reforms, whi ...

of monastic life into Austria.Odden, Per Einar. "Den hellige Berthold av Garsten (~1060-1142)", Den katolske kirke, November 28, 2015
/ref> Berthold had a reputation for living a private life of severe penance, never eating meat or fish and spending most of his nights in prayer. His advice was sought by the many visitors who came to the monastery to hear him preach, and he built up a reputation as a wise and effective guide. He was

Emperor Conrad III The word ''emperor'' (from , via ) can mean the male ruler of an empire. ''Empress'', the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), mother/grandmother (empress dowager/grand empress dowager), or a woman who rules ...

's confessor. Berthold converted the robber Leo and persuaded him to enter the monastery. Garsten Stiftskirche14

Berthold died late in the evening of 27 July 1142 and was buried in the abbey church at Garsten, which soon became a place of pilgrimage.In 1686 his relics were transferred to a separate chapel."Bertold von Garsten" Domradio, Archdiocese of Cologne
/ref>

Veneration

In 1236, the bishop of Passau allowed Berthold to be inscribed in the register of saints for July 27th. The cause for his

beatification Beatification (from Latin , "blessed" and , "to make") is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a deceased person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in their name. ''Beati'' is the p ...

was officially opened on 3 May 1952.

Pope Paul VI Pope Paul VI (born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding John XXII ...

officially recognized Berthold's ''cultus'' on 8 January 1970. Berthold is listed in the ''

Martyrologium Romanum The ''Roman Martyrology'' () is the official martyrology of the Catholic Church. Its use is obligatory in matters regarding the Roman Rite liturgy, but dioceses, countries and religious institutes may add duly approved appendices to it. It provide ...

''. Berthold depicted in a monk's habit with a fish. His

feast day The calendar of saints is the traditional Christian method of organizing a liturgical year by associating each day with one or more saints and referring to the day as the feast day or feast of said saint. The word "feast" in this context does n ...

is celebrated by the Diocese of Linz as well as the

Diocese of St. Pölten In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associated ...

and the

Archdiocese of Salzburg The Archdiocese of Salzburg (; ) is a Latin rite archdiocese of the Catholic Church centered in Salzburg, Austria. It is also the principal diocese of the ecclesiastical province of Salzburg. The archdiocese is one of two Austrian archdioceses, ...

on 27 July.

References

Sources

*Lenzenweger, J., 1958. ''Berthold von Garsten'' (with the '' Vita Bertholdi'')

External links

Hagiography Circle

Saints SQPN
{{DEFAULTSORT:Berthold of Garsten 1060s births 1142 deaths People from the Duchy of Bavaria German Benedictines Austrian Benedictines Austrian abbots Benedictine abbots 12th-century Roman Catholic priests Beatifications by Pope Paul VI German beatified people Austrian beatified people Benedictine beatified people 12th-century Christian abbots Miracle workers