October 7

St. Artaldus

Saint Artaldus

Life and Dedication

Saint Artaldus is also called Saint Arthaud.

Saint Artaldus was born around 1101 A.D. It is not known for sure whenhe was born.

Saint Artaldus was born in the palace of Sothonod in Savoy, France.

The name of his parents and siblings, if any, remains unknown. There isno in-depth information on how Saint Artaldus spent most of his earlylife.

The most notable parts of his life began at age 18. When Saint Artaldusturned 18, he joined the court of Duke Amadeus III.

Saint Artaldus spent only one of two years in the court. He left andjoined the Carthusian house in Portes. He spent his initial days andweeks learning how to communicate better with God.

Sometime later, he was ordained as a priest. He spent his time andresources not only building a proper relationship with God but alsoreturning to the church.

He was devoted to his faith and had taken a vow of chastity. He spenttime praying, meditating, and fasting.

Saint Artaldus was also very generous. He split his properties and gavethe same to the sick and the needy.

Some years later, Saint Artaldus was instructed by the Prior of Grandchartreuse. He was instructed to establish a charter house in Valromey.The place was known as “The cemetery”.

Saint Ataldus took other six priests with him to Portes Charterhouse.There, they worked together to pioneer a community of monks.

It went well for a while until the charterhouse buildings were gutted byfire one day.

Saint Artaldus, seeing that their old community was razed down, chose apiece of land and that was close to the Arvières Rive.

Legacy

Saint Artaldus founded and dedicated the Arvières Charterhouse to theBlessed Mary in 1132.

Saint Artaldus was highly respected by the people. He was mentored bySaint Bruno but he became more popular than Bruno.

When he was over 80 years old, Saint Artaldus was called to be madebishop of the see. Although reluctantly, he served the see for about 2years.

Saint Artaldus resigned as bishop and retired to Arvières.

Saint Artaldus spent the rest of his years in solitude. He once receivedHugh of Lincoln who had been instrumental in getting King Henry II ofEngland to invest in the charterhouse at Arvières.

Death

Saint Artaldus died at Arvières. He was 105 years old.

Saint Artaldus died in 1206 in Lochieu, France.

The cultus of Saint Artaldus was confirmed by Pope Gregory XVI. SaintArtaldus is celebrated on the 7th of October.