Overwhelming influence of the Benedictine tradition
In the history of the Church, the monastic movement at Cluny owed its brilliant rise and overwhelming influence to both its dynamism and its internal stability. Free from the control of secular magnates, their monastic life was able to develop depth. The monks were much known in the Western community for their emphasis on prayer. Common prayers with other monasteries and concern for all of Christianity contributed to their overwhelming influence. This concern for all Christians gave the monks of Cluny a certain openness towards the world. They pursued scientific studies, were interested in political developments, and maintained contacts with emperors and kings. St. Majolus, the fourth abbot of Cluny was highly esteemed by Otto I.
St. Majolus
Also known as Mayeul, Majolus was born at Avignon, France. Because of the marauding Saracens, he fled to his relatives at Mâcon, Burgundy. He studied under abbot Antony of L'Isle Barbe, then was named archdeacon upon returning to Mâcon. Later on he was named bishop of Besançon. He did not want this post, so he went to Cluny to be one of its monks. In 965 A.D., he was elected Cluny's fourth abbot. The monasteries of Germany were entrusted to him by Emperor Otto I. St. Majolus was noted for his scholarship and was held in great esteem by other rulers of the time. He appointed St. Odilo as his coadjutor in 991 A.D. and devoted himself to prayer and penance. He died on May 11.
St. Odilo
St. Odilo succeeded St. Majolus, and under his leadership, Cluny became the most important abbey in Western Europe. It was he who instituted the feast of All Souls (November 2). He practiced great austerities and sold much of Cluny's treasures to feed the poor during a famine in 1006 A.D. He increased the number of abbeys under Cluny, and together with Abbot Richard of Saint-Vanne was responsible for the rule guaranteeing sanctuary to those seeking refuge in a church. St. Odilo led Cluny for more than fifty years. During the last five years of his life, he became ill and passed away on January 1, 1048 A.D.
A stricter observance
The next abbot to succeed Odilo was Hugh. We will learn that under St. Hugh's abbacy, the prestige of Cluny reached its highest point, as new houses were opened all over Europe. Because of this, the Cluny monks acquired extensive tracts of land. Towards the end of St. Hugh's abbacy, a more fervent idealism arose within some monks of the order (those who wanted to follow a stricter observance of poverty). This group moved out of Cluny and went to Citeaux. This marked the beginning of a new monastic order, the Cistercians. Their third abbot, St. Stephen Harding drew up the rule for the Order. St. Stephen combined his exceptional gifts of administration with his passionate love of poverty.
Sources of these blog posts
- A History of the Church, by Franzen and Dolan
- A Concise History of the Catholic Church, by Thomas
Bokenkotter - Lives of the Saints, by Richard P. McBrien
- Dictionary of Saints, by John J. Delaney
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