Bertulf (died 640) was the third abbot of the monastery of Bobbio.

Life

Bertulf was the son of an

Austrasia Austrasia was a territory which formed the north-eastern section of the Merovingian Kingdom of the Franks during the 6th to 8th centuries. It was centred on the Meuse, Middle Rhine and the Moselle rivers, and was the original territory of the F ...

n nobleman and a near relative of

Arnulf of Metz Arnulf of Metz ( 582 – 645) was a Frankish bishop of Metz and advisor to the Merovingian court of Austrasia. He later retired to the Abbey of Remiremont. In French he is also known as Arnoul or Arnoulf. In English he is known as Arnold. G ...

, whose example had such an influence on Bertulf that he became a Christian and in 620 entered the monastery of

Luxeuil Luxeuil-les-Bains () is a commune in the Haute-Saône department in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in eastern France. History Luxeuil (sometimes rendered Luxeu in older texts) was the Roman Luxovium and contained many fine buildings at ...

.Ott, Michael. "St. Bertulf." The Catholic Encyclopedia
Vol. 2. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1907. 13 April 2020 A few years later he became acquainted with

Abbot Attala Atala or Attala (died 622) was a disciple of Columbanus and his successor as abbot of Bobbio from 615. Attala was originally from Burgundy, and first became a monk at the abbey of Lérins. Displeased with the loose discipline prevailing there ...

, who had come to Luxeuil on a visit, and, with permission of Abbot

Eustace of Luxeuil Eustace of Luxeuil (c. 560 – c. 626), also known as Eustasius, was the second abbot of Luxeuil from 611. He succeeded his teacher Columbanus, to whom he had been a favorite disciple and monk. He had been the head of the monastic school. Life ...

, accompanied Attala back to Bobbio in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. Upon the death of Attala in 627, Bertulf was elected by the monks of Bobbio as their abbot. Like his predecessor, he insisted on the observance of the austere rule introduced by St. Columban, the founder of

Bobbio Abbey Bobbio Abbey (Italian: ''Abbazia di San Colombano'') is a monastery founded by Irish Saint Columbanus in 614, around which later grew up the town of Bobbio, in the province of Piacenza, Emilia-Romagna, Italy. It is dedicated to Saint Columbanus. I ...

, and preached fearlessly against

Arianism Arianism ( grc-x-koine, Ἀρειανισμός, ) is a Christological doctrine first attributed to Arius (), a Christian presbyter from Alexandria, Egypt. Arian theology holds that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, who was begotten by God ...

, which had gained a firm foothold in Italy under the Lombard kings. In 628, the

Bishop of Tortona The Diocese of Tortona ( la, Dioecesis Derthonensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Northern Italy, spanning parts of three regions of Piedmont (Province of Alessandria), Lombardy (Province of Pav ...

endeavoured to bring Bobbio under his own jurisdiction, Bertulf hastened to

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, where

Pope Honorius I Pope Honorius I (died 12 October 638) was the bishop of Rome from 27 October 625 to his death. He was active in spreading Christianity among Anglo-Saxons and attempted to convince the Celts to calculate Easter in the Roman fashion. He is chiefl ...

received him kindly and granted the monastery entire exemption from episcopal jurisdiction, and subject directly to the Papal See.

Jonas Jonas may refer to: Geography * Jonas, Netherlands, Netherlands * Jonas, Pennsylvania, United States * Jonas Ridge, North Carolina, United States People with the name * Jonas (name), people with the given name or surname Jonas * Jonas, one of ...

, a monk of Bobbio, who accompanied Bertulf on his journey to Rome, relates that, while returning to his monastery, Bertulf was attacked by a deadly fever, and cured miraculously by St. Peter. The same author ascribes a few other miracles to the prayers of St. Bertulf. Bertulf served seventeen years as abbot and died on August 19, 640. He is buried in the crypt of the Basilica of San Colombano.DiPippo, Gregory. "The Abbey of St Columbanus in Bobbio, Italy", New Liturgical Movement, November 01, 2019
/ref> Most martyrologies give him the title of saint. His feast is celebrated on August 19.

References

Sources

{{Authority control 640 deaths Converts to Christianity from pagan religions Italian abbots Medieval German saints Medieval Italian saints 7th-century Frankish saints Year of birth unknown Colombanian saints