ROBERT OF BRUGES, BL.

Abbot; b. Bruges, Belgium, end of 11th century; d. Clairvaux, France, April 29, 1157. He was teaching at laon when bernard of clairvaux, in the course of a journey to liÈge, convinced him to accept the monastic vocation. Together with about 30 companions, the socalled captura leodiensis, he followed the abbot and entered the cistercian Order at the Abbey of clairvaux in 1131. Bernard had a high regard for Robert, and in 1138 he installed him as first Cistercian abbot at les dunes, in Flanders, near his birthplace. On the death of Bernard in 1153, Robert succeeded him as second abbot of Clairvaux. Two letters are preserved that Bernard had written to his disciple before his death (Patrologia Latina, 182:530). He was early honored by the Cistercians, and he is mentioned in the martyrology of 1491, as well as in the Missal of 1526. He was buried at Clairvaux.

Feast: April 29.

Bibliography: Acta Sanctorum Oct. 13:91–96. bernard of clairvaux, Epistolae 324, 325, Patrologia Latina 182:530. herbert, De miraculis 1.8, Patrologia Latina 185:1285–86, conrad of eberbach, Exordium magnum cisterciense bk 1.21–23, ed. b. griesser (Rome 1961) 118–123. Biographie nationale de Belgique 19:416–422. u. chevalier, Répertoire des sources historiques du moyen-âge. Biobibliographie, 2 v. (2d. ed. Paris 1905–07) 2:3987. a. dimier, Saint Bernard, pêcheur de Dieu (Paris 1953) 57, 192. a. m. zimmermann, Kalendarium Benedictinum: Die Heiligen und Seligen des Benediktinerorderns und seiner Zweige, 4 v. (Metten 1933–38) 2:123–127. w. bÖhne, Lexikon für Theologie und Kirche, ed. j. hofer and k. rahner, 10 v. (2d, new ed. Freiburg 1957–65) 8:1336. Vita la S. Bernardi 5.3, Patrologia Latina 185:361.

[m. standaert]