Pope Eugene III

Eugene III. (Latin: . Eugenius III; * in Pisa, † July 8, 1153 in Tivoli, Italy), real name Bernardus Paganelli, was from 1145 to 1153 Pope of the Catholic Church. His name means Pope (Greek): " of noble birth ".

Life

Eugene III. was the first Cistercian pope. Its exact origin is uncertain, contemporary sources give only " natione Pisanus " to. Later scholars and historians have constructed the descent from a family Paganelli di Montemagno. Actual evidence for this but there is no.

Eugene III. is rightly called pupil of Bernard of Clairvaux, where its influence is assessed differently. Before entering Bernard Clairvaux Bernardo Paganelli had long been a monk, 1115 Paganelli joined the Camaldulenserkloster St. Zenon, in 1128 he became Prior 1135-1137 he was a canon in Pisa, entered Clairvaux in 1138, but was already in 1145 the abbot Cistercian abbey of Tre Fontane near Rome.

Papal election

Although Paganelli was not Bishop and certainly not cardinal, but was still elected on February 15, 1145 the Pope. A few days later, he had a first time from Rome flee when the Roman Senate, the Pope 's reign was hostile to. As a result, he was also the agitations of his opponent Arnold of Brescia, who demanded a renunciation of power of the Church oppose little. As Eugen several times had to flee from Rome, he spent only a small part of his pontificate.

Crusade sermon

In response to the case of Edessa, which had been captured on December 25, 1144 by Emir Zengi of Mosul and Aleppo, called Eugene III. on December 1, 1145 on the Bull " Quantum praedecessores " the Second Crusade. However, this came about only when Bernard of Clairvaux as a crusade preacher in 1146 King Louis VII of France and the Roman-German King Conrad III. won for this company. The Second Crusade but ultimately failed miserably.

Eugene III. allowed the Saxon nobles also a crusade against the pagan Apply. The Order of Knights Templar, he granted on April 27, 1147 at the Council of Paris the right to permanently wear a red cross on the left shoulder of her white coat, bringing her habit now of the difference of the Cistercians.

A few months before his death concluded Eugene III. on March 23, 1153 by King Friedrich Barbarossa the Treaty of Constance, which should secure him the support of the king against the rebellious Romans. In July of the same year Eugene died before Barbarossa could draw with his army to Rome.

From Pope Pius IX. confirmed on 28 September 1872 as Seliger, is his Catholic Memorial Day July 8, of his death.