Louis Bertrand (saint)

Luis Beltrán Exach (* January 1, 1526 in Valencia, Spain, † October 9, 1581 ), also known as Louis Bertrand, is a Spanish saint of the Order of the Dominicans. He was canonized in 1691 by Pope Clement X..

Life

Luis Beltrán was born on January 1, 1526 in Valencia, the son of Luis Beltrán and Ángela Exach. He joined in 1544 the Dominican Convent in Valencia one. How many other Dominicans he went as a missionary to America, where he worked after his landing in Cartagena de Indias in the region of the lower Magdalena River. 1568 he was appointed prior of the convent of Santo Domingo in Santa Fe de Bogotá. The cruelty, the greed and excesses of the encomenderos, the royal inspector for the conquest of colonial territories and the oppression of the Indians, were the main obstacles he had to overcome in his work. When he realized that he could not do anything against these evils, he asked for a transfer to Europe.

There are many stories and legends about the conflicts of this Order 's with the Conquistadores who tried several times to assassinate him.

On his return to Valencia, he was received with great kindness. As in his religious youth, he was entrusted with the office of the Novice Master. At the door of his cell, he brought the following inscription ans: If I wanted to please men, I would not be a servant of Jesus Christ. After many diseases, which he understood as a process of purification by God, he died on October 9, 1581, a year before the Saint Teresa of Ávila, with whom he exchanged letters. Again and again he repeated the words of St. Augustine: Burn, cut and rebuke here, Lord, that You forgive me for ever. Pope Paul V blessed and spoke to him in 1608 Alexander VII declared him Patron of the Nuevo Reino de Granada. He was canonized by Pope Clement X in 1691. His feast is celebrated on October 9.