Geoffrey of Clairvaux

Geoffrey of Auxerre (c. 1115/20 in Auxerre, † after 1188 in Hautecombe, also: Gottfried von Clairvaux ) was a Cistercian monk and after 1141 personal secretary to the Cistercian abbot Bernard of Clairvaux, later abbot of Clairvaux and biographer of Saint Bernard.

Life

1115 in Auxerre, about 150 km southeast of Paris, was born, he studied in his youth 1134-1140 in Paris, among others, Peter Abelard before him Bernard of Clairvaux in 1140 or 1141 during a sermon to the clergy of Paris won for the Cistercian Order. After a stint as Abbot of Igny he followed Bernhard in 1162 to Abbaziat of Clairvaux after, was but three years later by Pope Alexander III. released from this office again. Then he went to the mother the monastery of Citeaux, near Dijon. In 1170 he became abbot of Fossanova in Rome and six years later Abbot of Hautecombe in Savoy before he died after 1188.

Work

Geoffrey of Auxerre was after his conversion to the monastic life an implacable opponent of the new teachings of Peter Abelard and Gilbert de la Porrée.

As a biographer of Bernard of Clairvaux and collectors of his letters Gottfried developed a rich literary activity. In 1145 he joined 310 letters of Bernard to a first letter collection, moreover, he drew his life and miracles on revised originating from other spring first two books of the Vita prima of Bernard and added (III- V) three more books, as well as the Historia miraculorum in Itinere Germanico patratorum, also known as VI. Book of Vita Bernard is called.

He also created pamphlets, commentaries and many sermons were written.