St. Adelard
Saint Adelard
Early Life
Saint Adelard, sometimes called Saint Adalard of Corbie, was born inHuise around 751 A.D.
He was said to be of noble descent. Saint Adelard was the son of CharlesMartel and King Pepin the Short was his uncle. He was also called thefirst cousin of Charlemagne.
Saint Adelard grew up amidst royalty. As a child, he received the finestthings in life.
Adelard received primary education at the Court of Charlemagne which waslocated in Aachen. After his initial education, at a very young age, hewas appointed as the Count of the Palace.
Saint Adelard was 20 when he joined the monastery in Corbie, Picardy,around 772 A.D. The monastery had been pioneered by Queen Bathild in662.
While he enjoyed serving at the monastery, he continued to craveseclusion. This caused him to travel to Monte Cassino.
After living in Monte Cassino for a while, his cousin Charlemagneordered him to return home to Corbie. At Corbie, he was made Abbot.
Dedication and Devotion
While still serving as abbot, Saint Adelard was appointed prime ministerto Charlemagne’s son, Lord Pepin. Pepin was at that time the King ofItaly in the Carolingian empire.
Saint Adelard continued to shuffle between serving as Abbot to hismonastery and Prime minister. While in power, he took part in sittingsto discuss the state of the military and the government. He wasn’t justpassionate about the Church, he loved his city as a whole.
Before Lord Pepin died in Milan in the year 810, he put his son Bernardin Adelard’s trust. Bernard at that time was just 12 years old.
Seven years later in 817, Bernard got ready to take the throne. EmperorLouis the Debonair, also called Louis the Pious, at that time, was LordBernard’s rival.
Suspecting that Saint Adelard was in alliance with Bernard, EmperorLouis had Adelard banished to an island on modern Noirmoutier. As aresult, Wala, who was Adelard’s brother, became a monk at Corbie.
Saint Adelard was in exile for five years before Emperor Louis realizedthat he had made a mistake. Sorry about the costly mistake, he had SaintAdelard found, brought bark to Corbie, and made one of his chiefexecutive officers.
Legacy
Back in good graces with the Emperor, Saint Adelard established severalhospitals. These went a long way in ensuring that the occurringsicknesses were controlled in Corbie.
In 822, Adelarde cofounded Corvey Abbey in Westphalia.
Death and Canonization
Saint Adelard spent his days establishing health institutions andmonasteries. He was a highly respected man who put the needs of thepeople before his own.
In the year 826, Saint Adelard was said to have been traveling to oldCorbie when he fell sick around the 22nd of December. He continued tofight for his health still he died on the 2nd of January the followingyear.
Saint Adelard was said to have died around 3 p.m. He was said to havebeen about 73 years old.
Even in death, Saint Adelard was said to have been a bearer of miracles.His relics were claimed to have healed the sick, the blind, and thedeaf. The relics were however transported to an unknown location in1026.
Saint Adelarde was canonized in 1026 by Pope John XIX. He is celebratedin the Roman Catholic Church on the 2nd of January.
5 Interesting Facts About St. Adelard
- Did you know that Saint Adelard is the patron Saint of churches and
towns in France? - Did you know that Saint Adelard’s abbey extends across the bishopric
of Paderborn and the duchy of Brunswick? - Did you know that Saint Adelard is considered the patron saint
against fever and typhoid? - Did you know that Saint Adelard is depicted as an abbot gardening
with his crown on the floor near him? - Did you know some of Saint Adelard’s writings are considered
important for the Church?