Berthold of Garsten

Berthold of Garsten, O.S.B.
Blessed; Berthold of Garsten, O.S.B.
	Statue of St. Berthold at Melk Abbey.
Monk and priest
Born	c. 1060; Duchy of Bavaria, Holy Roman Empire
Died	27 July 1142 (aged 82); Garsten, March of Styria, Duchy of Bavaria, Holy Roman Empire
Venerated in	Roman Catholic Church; (Austria & the Austrian Congregation of the Benedictine Order)
Beatified	8 January 1970, Vatican City, by Pope Paul VI
Major shrine	Garsten Abbey, Austria
Feast	27 July
Attributes	Benedictine habit and crozier

Berthold of Garsten, O.S.B., also known as Berthold de Rachez (c. 1060 - 27 July 1142), was a German Roman Catholic priest and a monk of the Order of Saint Benedict.[1] He was a noted abbot of a major monastic house in the region, and is revered for the holiness of his life by the Catholic Church.

Life

Berthold is believed to have been descended from the house of the Counts of Bogen, who traditionally also held the office of Advocatus (Domvogt) of the Regensburg Cathedral. He became a monk at St. Blaise's Abbey in the Black Forest, according to one tradition as a widower. In 1107 he was appointed prior of Göttweig Abbey.

The following year, Margrave Ottokar II of Styria entrusted Berthold with the development of Garsten Abbey, which Ottokar had founded in 1080 but was in the process of transforming from a community of secular canons to a monastic one, living under the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initially under the rule of Göttweig Abbey, the new community was declared independent and Berthold was installed as the new community's first abbot in 1111. In this post he distinguished himself by his piety, kindness to all who approached him for help or counsel, devotion to his pastoral duties and organizational talent. He introduced the Hirsau Reforms of monastic life into Austria.

Tomb.

Berthold died on 27 July 1142 and is buried at Garsten Abbey.

Veneration

Berthold was beatified in 1970 by Pope Paul VI. His feast day is celebrated by the Diocese of Linz as well as the Diocese of St. Pölten and the Archdiocese of Salzburg on 27 July.

References

Lenzenweger, J., 1958. Berthold von Garsten (with the Vita Bertholdi)

Butler's Lives of the Saints Alban Butler, Paul Burns - 1995 Volume 7 - Page 221 "Bd Berthold of Garsten, Abbot (c. 1075-1142) Berthold de Rachez was born toward the end of the 11th century on the shores of Lake Constance (the Bodensee). One account says that he married but that his wife died when he was about ..."

External links

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[1] Butler's Lives of the Saints Alban Butler, Paul Burns - 1995 Volume 7 - Page 221 "Bd Berthold of Garsten, Abbot (c. 1075-1142) Berthold de Rachez was born toward the end of the 11th century on the shores of Lake Constance (the Bodensee). One account says that he married but that his wife died when he was about ..."