Artaldus, also known as Arthaud, was a 13th-century

Carthusian The Carthusians, also known as the Order of Carthusians ( la, Ordo Cartusiensis), are a Latin enclosed religious order of the Catholic Church. The order was founded by Bruno of Cologne in 1084 and includes both monks and nuns. The order has its ...

Early life

Born in the castle of Sothonod in

Savoy Savoy (; frp, Savouè ; french: Savoie ) is a cultural-historical region in the Western Alps. Situated on the cultural boundary between Occitania and Piedmont, the area extends from Lake Geneva in the north to the Dauphiné in the south. Savo ...

, in 1101. Much of his childhood is not known but at the age of eighteen, Artaldus entered the court of Duke Amadeus III, but after a year or so he left to become a

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...

Early religious life

Artaldus entered the

house of Portes Charterhouse in modern-day

Bénonces Bénonces () is a commune in the Ain department in eastern France. Geography Climate Bénonces has a oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification ''Cfb'') closely bordering on a humid continental climate (''Dfb''). The average annual tem ...

. There he was ordained a

. He spent many years serving as a priest before being sent by the

prior Prior (or prioress) is an ecclesiastical title for a superior in some religious orders. The word is derived from the Latin for "earlier" or "first". Its earlier generic usage referred to any monastic superior. In abbeys, a prior would be l ...

of the

Grande Chartreuse Grande Chartreuse () is the head monastery of the Carthusian religious order. It is located in the Chartreuse Mountains, north of the city of Grenoble, in the commune of Saint-Pierre-de-Chartreuse (Isère), France. History Originally, the ch ...

to found a charterhouse near a valley in the

Valromey The canton of Champagne-en-Valromey is a former administrative division in eastern France. It was disbanded following the French canton reorganisation which came into effect in March 2015. It consisted of 14 communes, which joined the canton of P ...

, a place that was known as "the cemetery". Artaldus decided to take with him six fellow priests from the Portes Charterhouse to establish this new community. The community had to move when the newly built charterhouse buildings were ravaged by fire. Artaldus chose a fresh site on the Arvières River, and the Arvières Charterhouse was founded and dedicated to Our Lady, in 1132.

Appointment as Bishop of Belley

In the years spent at Arvière, Artaldus gained considerable fame and a great reputation, like that of St. Bruno, his master. Similar to St. Bruno, Artaldus was called from his

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which ...

, to accept the role of serving as a bishop. This was at the See of Belley. Artaldus, who was over eighty when called to the post, less than two years later he resigned and returned to Arvières.

Later life and death

In his later years Artaldus was visited by

Hugh of Lincoln Hugh of Lincoln, O.Cart. ( – 16 November 1200), also known as Hugh of Avalon, was a French-born Benedictine and Carthusian monk, bishop of Lincoln in the Kingdom of England, and Catholic saint. His feast is observed by Catholics on 16 Novem ...

, who had convinced King

Henry II of England Henry II (5 March 1133 – 6 July 1189), also known as Henry Curtmantle (french: link=no, Court-manteau), Henry FitzEmpress, or Henry Plantagenet, was King of England from 1154 until his death in 1189, and as such, was the first Angevin king ...

to become a benefactor of the charterhouse at Arvières. Artaldus who live the remainder of his days at Arvières, living until the age of 105, he died in 1206. His cultus was confirmed in 1834, by

Pope Gregory XVI Pope Gregory XVI ( la, Gregorius XVI; it, Gregorio XVI; born Bartolomeo Alberto Cappellari; 18 September 1765 – 1 June 1846) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 2 February 1831 to his death in 1 June 1846. He h ...

References

St. Artaldus
Catholic Online French Roman Catholic saints 13th-century Christian saints 1206 deaths 1101 births French centenarians Men centenarians Carthusian saints {{France-RC-bishop-stub