Blessed Eugenius III

Bernardo dei Paganelli · 1145 – 1153

A Cistercian monk and disciple of St. Bernard who launched the Second Crusade and was the first Cistercian pope.

Bernardo was a Cistercian monk and disciple of Bernard of Clairvaux. Elected pope in 1145, he was driven from Rome almost immediately by a commune led by Arnold of Brescia. He spent much of his pontificate in exile in France, where he launched the Second Crusade in 1145. Bernard of Clairvaux wrote his famous work 'De Consideratione' as advice for his former student. The crusade ended in failure, but Eugenius's personal holiness was widely recognized.

Why He Matters

Eugenius III brought a monk's humility to the papal throne, though the world would not leave him in peace. Bernard's letters to him are among the great spiritual writings of the Middle Ages — advice from a teacher to his former student, now his superior.