Gilbert of Neuffontaines

Gilbert von Neuffontaines (* around 1076 in Auvergne ; † June 6, 1152 in Neuffontaines (also called Neuffonts) in France ) was a French knight and military leader, founder of a monastery and Roman Catholic saint .

He came from a noble family from the Auvergne and was at the court of the French kings Louis VI. and Ludwig VII. educated.

He was married to a noblewoman named Petronella. With her he had a daughter named Pontia (Ponce).

Under Louis VII, he also took part in the Second Crusade in 1147 . In the course of the crusade, Gilbert became one of the leaders of the army. After his return in 1148, disappointed by the loss-making failure of the crusade, for which he blamed the sinful behavior of the crusaders, he decided to turn away from worldly life. Around 1150 he sold his worldly property and donated two monasteries from the proceeds: A Premonstratensian convent in Aubeterre , in which his wife Petronella and, after her death, his daughter Pontia became the first headmistresses , and a gentlemen's monastery in Neuffontaines with an attached hospital for the poor, which he and canons from the Premonstratensian Abbey of Notre-Dame de Dilo , who elected him their first abbot.

He died in 1152 and was buried in the cemetery of the hospital he founded. Even then he was said to be holy, and according to tradition, he was able to heal with his tears. The third prior of Neuffontaines later had his bones reburied in the monastery church. 1725 Gilbert was by Pope Benedict XIII. canonized . His feast day is October 24th .

literature

• Friedrich Wilhelm Bautz :  Gilbert. In: Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL). Volume 2, Bautz, Hamm 1990, ISBN 3-88309-032-8 , Sp. 245.
• Johann Samuelersch , Johann Gottfried Gruber, u. a .: Gilbert the saint. In: General Encyclopedia of Sciences and Arts. Section 1, Part 67. Brockhaus, Leipzig 1858, p. 200.

Web links

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