Gerald of Sauve-Majeure
Encyclopedia
Saint Gerald of Sauve-Majeure (sometimes also Gerard or Geraud) (c. 1025–1095), also known, from his place of origin, as Gerald of Corbie, was a Benedictine abbot.
, Picardy
, and was educated at the abbey of Corbie
, where he later became a monk and cellarer. He suffered greatly from violent headaches which prevented him from carrying out his devotions. In an effort to cure them he made a pilgrimage
with his abbot to seek the intercession of Saint Michael at Monte Gargano
and that of Saint Benedict
at Monte Cassino
. While at Rome
he was ordained
by Pope Leo IX
. On his return he was healed of the severe headaches by the intercession of Saint Adalard
, a former abbot of Corbie, of whom Gerald wrote a hagiography
.
He later made a pilgrimage to Palestine
, after which he was elected abbot of St. Vincent's Abbey, Laon, but the monks did not accept his authority or the imposition of proper discipline. After some five years he resigned from Laon in order to become abbot of St. Medard's Abbey, Soissons
, but was driven out by an usurper.
He then sought instead to found a new Benedictine monastery. Duke William VIII of Aquitaine
gave him a huge tract of forest in the Gironde
near Bordeaux
, where Gerald founded the abbey of Grande-Sauve
, of which he was also the first abbot. This developed into a powerful community for the advancement of the Benedictine Rule and mode of life, with significant influence from the customs of Cluny
. Gerald began the practice of celebrating mass and the Office for the Dead for 30 days after the death of a community member. His constant advice to his monks for as long as he lived was that they should shun all discussion. He died at Grande-Sauve Abbey.
Life
Saint Gerald was born in CorbieCorbie
Corbie is a commune of the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.-Geography:The small town is situated up river from Amiens, in the département of Somme and is the main town of the canton of Corbie. It lies in the valley of the River Somme, at the confluence of the River Ancre. The town...
, Picardy
Picardy
This article is about the historical French province. For other uses, see Picardy .Picardy is a historical province of France, in the north of France...
, and was educated at the abbey of Corbie
Corbie Abbey
Corbie Abbey is a former Benedictine monastery in Corbie, Picardy, France, dedicated to Saint Peter.-Foundation:It was founded in about 659/661 under Merovingian royal patronage by Balthild, widow of Clovis II, and her son Clotaire III...
, where he later became a monk and cellarer. He suffered greatly from violent headaches which prevented him from carrying out his devotions. In an effort to cure them he made a pilgrimage
Pilgrimage
A pilgrimage is a journey or search of great moral or spiritual significance. Typically, it is a journey to a shrine or other location of importance to a person's beliefs and faith...
with his abbot to seek the intercession of Saint Michael at Monte Gargano
Monte Gargano
Gargano is a historical and geographical Italian sub-region situated in Apulia, consisting of a wide isolated mountain massif made of highland and several peaks and forming the backbone of the Gargano Promontory projecting into the Adriatic Sea. The high point is Monte Calvo at . Most of the upland...
and that of Saint Benedict
Benedict of Nursia
Saint Benedict of Nursia is a Christian saint, honored by the Roman Catholic Church as the patron saint of Europe and students.Benedict founded twelve communities for monks at Subiaco, about to the east of Rome, before moving to Monte Cassino in the mountains of southern Italy. There is no...
at Monte Cassino
Monte Cassino
Monte Cassino is a rocky hill about southeast of Rome, Italy, c. to the west of the town of Cassino and altitude. St. Benedict of Nursia established his first monastery, the source of the Benedictine Order, here around 529. It was the site of Battle of Monte Cassino in 1944...
. While at Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
he was ordained
Ordination
In general religious use, ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart as clergy to perform various religious rites and ceremonies. The process and ceremonies of ordination itself varies by religion and denomination. One who is in preparation for, or who is...
by Pope Leo IX
Pope Leo IX
Pope Saint Leo IX , born Bruno of Eguisheim-Dagsburg, was Pope from February 12, 1049 to his death. He was a German aristocrat and as well as being Pope was a powerful secular ruler of central Italy. He is regarded as a saint by the Roman Catholic Church, with the feast day of April 19...
. On his return he was healed of the severe headaches by the intercession of Saint Adalard
Saint Adalard
Saint Adalard was son of Bernard the son of Charles Martel and half-brother of Pepin; Charlemagne was his cousin....
, a former abbot of Corbie, of whom Gerald wrote a hagiography
Hagiography
Hagiography is the study of saints.From the Greek and , it refers literally to writings on the subject of such holy people, and specifically to the biographies of saints and ecclesiastical leaders. The term hagiology, the study of hagiography, is also current in English, though less common...
.
He later made a pilgrimage to Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
, after which he was elected abbot of St. Vincent's Abbey, Laon, but the monks did not accept his authority or the imposition of proper discipline. After some five years he resigned from Laon in order to become abbot of St. Medard's Abbey, Soissons
St. Medard's Abbey, Soissons
The Abbey of St. Medard, Soissons, was a Benedictine monastery, at one time held to be the greatest in France.-History:The abbey was founded in 557 by Clotaire I on his manor of Crouy, near the villa of Syagrius, just outside the then boundaries of Soissons to house the remains of Saint Medard, the...
, but was driven out by an usurper.
He then sought instead to found a new Benedictine monastery. Duke William VIII of Aquitaine
William VIII of Aquitaine
William VIII , born Guy-Geoffrey , was duke of Gascony , and then duke of Aquitaine and count of Poitiers between 1058 and 1086, succeeding his brother William VII ....
gave him a huge tract of forest in the Gironde
Gironde
For the Revolutionary party, see Girondists.Gironde is a common name for the Gironde estuary, where the mouths of the Garonne and Dordogne rivers merge, and for a department in the Aquitaine region situated in southwest France.-History:...
near Bordeaux
Bordeaux
Bordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France.The Bordeaux-Arcachon-Libourne metropolitan area, has a population of 1,010,000 and constitutes the sixth-largest urban area in France. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture...
, where Gerald founded the abbey of Grande-Sauve
Grande-Sauve Abbey
Grande-Sauve Abbey or Sauve-Majeure Abbey is a former Benedictine monastery near the present village of La Sauve in the department of the Gironde, in a region once heavily forested...
, of which he was also the first abbot. This developed into a powerful community for the advancement of the Benedictine Rule and mode of life, with significant influence from the customs of Cluny
Cluny Abbey
Cluny Abbey is a Benedictine monastery in Cluny, Saône-et-Loire, France. It was built in the Romanesque style, with three churches built in succession from the 10th to the early 12th centuries....
. Gerald began the practice of celebrating mass and the Office for the Dead for 30 days after the death of a community member. His constant advice to his monks for as long as he lived was that they should shun all discussion. He died at Grande-Sauve Abbey.