St. Amadeus of Lausanne


St. Amadeus of Lausanne

The son of Blessed Amadeus of Clermont, Saint Amadeus of Lausanne (a.k.a. Amadeus von Lausanne) was born in 1110 in the castle Chatte of Dauphine, in what is now France. In his early years, St. Amadeus lived a life of privilege, a member of the Royal family of Franconia. Like many members of the nobililty, he was sent to the famous Benedictine monastery of Cluny for an education. But the influence of his monastic teachers led him to discover a call to the religious life. Rather than embracing the rather comfortable life of Cluny, however, he joined the new reformed Benedictine movement known as the Cistercians and became a disciple of St. Bernard at the monastery of Clairvaux. He went on to become abbot and then, over his protestations, bishop of Lausanne in 1144. He was also selected as chancellor of Burgundy by the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick Barbarossa. St. Amadeus died on August 24, 1159. His liturgical memorial in the Roman calendar occurs on January 28. Only a few of his homilies survive. Biography by Dr. Italy