Bertrand of Comminges

Saint Bertrand
Saint Mammes of Caesarea and Saint Bertrand surrounding Friends of God and the holy apostles of Romain Cazes, at St. Mamet
Bishop of Comminges
Born	1050, L'Isle-Jourdain, France
Died	1126, Lugdunum Convenarum, (now known as Saint-Bertrand-de-Comminges), France
Venerated in	Roman Catholic Church
Beatified	ca. 1220 by Pope Honorius III
Canonized	1309 by Pope Clement V
Major shrine	Saint-Bertrand-de-Comminges Cathedral
Feast	16 October
Patronage	Commune of Saint-Bertrand-de-Comminges

Bertrand of Comminges was Bishop of Comminges, in the diocese of Toulouse, France. It is after him that the commune of Saint-Bertrand-de-Comminges, is named.

Early Life

Bertrand was born at L'Isle-Jourdain, in 1050, to Raymond Atton, who was a military officer and Lord of L'Isle-Jourdain, and Gervaise Emma Taillefer, daughter of Count William III Taillefer de Toulouse. Through his mother's side of the family, Bertrand was related to the Counts of Toulouse, William IV and Raymond IV of Saint-Gilles, who were his cousins. Bertrand was raised to be a knight but in adulthood he entered religious orders.

Religious Life

After entering the orders he was successively archdeacon of Toulouse (circa 1070) and Bishop of Comminges (taking office between 1078-1080). In this role, which he maintained until his death, he implemented in his diocese mountain principles of the Gregorian reform, both in regard to the discipline of clergy as religious and moral life of the laity. During his long episcopate, almost half a century, the city of Lugdunum Convenarum - who would later take his name, Saint-Bertrand-de-Comminges - was revived. He rebuilt the cathedral, which also would almost be dedicated in his honour, and later become a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Death and Legacy

Tomb of Saint Bertrand

Upon his death he was considered a saint in the Pyrenees. Around 1167, the Archbishop of Auch commissioned a cleric named Vital to write his life and sent to the Curia for his canonization. The first the cause for beatification was rejected, but later Pope Honorius III opened an investigation in 1218. Later the pontiff beatified him between 1220 and 1222, although this is not evidenced by any document of the time. In 1309, in any case, Pope Clement V, who was himself Bishop of Comminges, lifted Bertrand to the sainthood. A magnificent tomb was built in their honor by Cardinal Pierre de Foix, who occupied the episcopal seat of Comminges from 1422 to 1442.