Saint Bernard of Tiron

Saint Bernard of Tiron (c. 1046-1117), also known as Bernard of Abbeville, was born in Abbeville in Picardy and became a monk of Saint-Cyprien at Poitiers. Drawn to solitude, he lived for years as a hermit in the forests of Maine and on the island of Chausey, preaching alongside Robert of Arbrissel and Vitalis of Savigny. Recalled to be abbot of Saint-Cyprien, he resigned rather than submit his abbey to Cluny and returned to the wilderness. Around 1109, on land given by the count of Perche, he founded the abbey of Tiron, near Chartres, where the monks supported themselves by manual labour and the crafts. The Order of Tiron spread rapidly through France, England, and Scotland. He died at Tiron in 1117 and is remembered as a father of monks who united austerity with work.