Blessed Bernard of Vienne

Also known as: Barnard
Memorial: 23 January
Profile: French nobility. Military officer in Charlemagne's army. Upon his parents' death, he retired from the military, divided his property into three parts (one for the Church, one for the poor, one for his children), bought the monastery in Ambronay, and retired there. Abbot at Ambronay in 805. Archbishop of Vienne in 810; resisted the appointment but accepted after being ordered to do so by Charlemagne and Pope Leo III. Worked to unite the Church in France and the East, trying to overcome their differences in the use and attitude to images. He became embroiled in the political division of lands in France, was ordered deposed by the winning side, and retired from public life to concentrate on the pastoral duties of his see. The town of Romans grew up around the place were he used to go for solitude.
Born: 778 near Lyons, France
Died: 23 January 842 at Vienne, France
Beatified: 1907 (cultus confirmed)
Patronage: agricultural workers, farm workers, farmers, field hands, husbandmen
Additional Information: Google Directory
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