Cathédrale de Chartres; Civilization, Medieval; Mont-Saint-Michel (Abbey : France)
The formal establishment of Heloise at the Paraclete took place in
1129. In February, 1130, on the death of the Pope at Rome, a schism
broke out, and the cardinals elected two popes, one of whom took the
name of Innocent II, and appealed for support to France. Suger saw a
great political opportunity and used it. The heads of the French
Church agreed in supporting Innocent, and the King summoned a Church
council at Etampes to declare its adhesion. The council met in the
late summer; Bernard of Clairvaux took the lead; Peter the
Venerable, Suger of Saint-Denis, and the Abbot of Saint-Gildas-de-
Rhuys supported him; Innocent himself took refuge at Cluny in
October, and on January 20, 1131, he stopped at the Benedictine
Abbey of Morigny. The Chronicle of the monastery, recording the
abbots present on this occasion,--the Abbot of Morigny itself, of
Feversham; of Saint-Lucien of Beauvais, and so forth,--added
especially: "Bernard of Clairvaux, who was then the most famous
pulpit orator in France; and Peter Abelard, Abbot of Saint-Gildas,
also a monk and the most eminent master of the schools to which the
scholars of almost all the Latin races flowed."
Innocent needed popular support; Bernard and Abelard were the two
leaders of popular opinion in France. To attach them, Innocent could
refuse nothing. Probably Abelard remained with Innocent, but in any
case Innocent gave him, at Auxerre, in the following November, a
diploma, granting to Heloise, prioress of the Oratory of the Holy
Trinity, all rights of property over whatever she might possess,
against all assailants; which proves Abelard's favour. At this time
he seems to have taken great interest in the new sisterhood. "I made
them more frequent visits," he said, "in order to work for their
benefit." He worked so earnestly for their benefit that he
scandalized the neighbourhood and had to argue at unnecessary length
his innocence of evil. He went so far as to express a wish to take
refuge among them and to abandon his abbey in Brittany. He professed
to stand in terror of his monks; he excommunicated them; they paid
no attention to him; he appealed to the Pope, his friend, and
Innocent sent a special legate to enforce their submission "in
presence of the Count and the Bishops."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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