Saint Lietbertus (Lietbert, Libert, Liberat) of Brakel (or of Cambrai, de Lessines) (ca. 1010–1076) was

bishop of Cambrai The Archdiocese of Cambrai ( la, Archdiocesis Cameracensis; French: ''Archidiocèse de Cambrai'') is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in France, comprising the arrondissements of Avesnes-sur-Help ...

from 31 March 1051 to 28 September 1076. Liebertus was born to the

Brabantian Brabantian or Brabantish, also Brabantic or Brabantine ( nl, Brabants, Standard Dutch pronunciation: , ), is a dialect group of the Dutch language. It is named after the historical Duchy of Brabant, which corresponded mainly to the Dutch provi ...

nobility Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy (class), aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below Royal family, royalty. Nobility has often been an Estates of the realm, estate of the realm with many e ...

Opbrakel Opbrakel is a village and ''deelgemeente'' (sub-municipality) of the municipality of Brakel, Belgium, Brakel. It is located in the Denderstreek in the province of East Flanders in Belgium. It used to be an independent municipality until 1971 when ...

(a village in the present-day municipality of

Brakel Brakel () is a municipality in the Belgian province of East Flanders in the Denderstreek and the Flemish Ardennes. The name is derived from a Carolingian villa ''Braglo'' first mentioned in 866 and located in the center of Opbrakel. Since 1970, t ...

). He served as

archdeacon An archdeacon is a senior clergy position in the Church of the East, Chaldean Catholic Church, Syriac Orthodox Church, Anglican Communion, St Thomas Christians, Eastern Orthodox churches and some other Christian denominations, above that o ...

and provost of the cathedral of Cambrai before his election as bishop.http://www.web.pdx.edu/~ott/vitalietberti/index.html
/ref>

Pilgrimage

As bishop of Cambrai, he attempted a

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, nature, or a higher good, through the experience. It can lead to a personal transformation, aft ...

to the

Holy Land The Holy Land; Arabic: or is an area roughly located between the Mediterranean Sea and the Eastern Bank of the Jordan River, traditionally synonymous both with the biblical Land of Israel and with the region of Palestine. The term "Holy ...

in 1054 with some of his flock ("people of all ages and both sexes"), but did not reach it. He did, however, manage to cross the

Danube The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects 10 European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for , pa ...

, entering what is biographer calls "

Pannonia Pannonia (, ) was a province of the Roman Empire bounded on the north and east by the Danube, coterminous westward with Noricum and upper Italy, and southward with Dalmatia and upper Moesia. Pannonia was located in the territory that is now wes ...

" and met the

king of Hungary The King of Hungary ( hu, magyar király) was the ruling head of state of the Kingdom of Hungary from 1000 (or 1001) to 1918. The style of title "Apostolic King of Hungary" (''Apostoli Magyar Király'') was endorsed by Pope Clement XIII in 1758 ...

Andrew I Andrew I may refer to: * Andrew I of Hungary ( 1015 – before 1060) * Andrew, Archbishop of Antivari (14th century) * Andrei of Polotsk ( 1325–1399) * ''King Andrew the First "King Andrew the First" is an American political cartoon created b ...

, who promised to give the pilgrims protection as they passed through his lands. Lietbertus' party encountered dangers as it passed through

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...

Dalmatia Dalmatia (; hr, Dalmacija ; it, Dalmazia; see #Name, names in other languages) is one of the four historical region, historical regions of Croatia, alongside Croatia proper, Slavonia, and Istria. Dalmatia is a narrow belt of the east shore of ...

Isauria Isauria ( or ; grc, Ἰσαυρία), in ancient geography, is a rugged, isolated, district in the interior of Asia Minor, of very different extent at different periods, but generally covering what is now the district of Bozkır and its surrou ...

, arriving at

Corinth Corinth ( ; el, Κόρινθος, Kórinthos, ) is the successor to an ancient city, and is a former municipality in Corinthia, Peloponnese, which is located in south-central Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform, it has been part o ...

. At Corinth, Lietbertus visited the tomb of

Saint Demetrius Saint Demetrius (or Demetrios) of Thessaloniki, Thessalonica ( el, Ἅγιος Δημήτριος τῆς Θεσσαλονίκης, (); bg, Димитър Солунски (); mk, Свети Димитрија Солунски (); ro, Sfântu ...

. According to his biography, Lietbertus got as far as

Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is geo ...

After his pilgrimage

He founded the abbey of Saint-Sépulcre (Holy Sepulchre) in 1064. He defended Cambrai against

Robert I, Count of Flanders Robert I ( – 13 October 1093), known as ''Robert the Frisian'', was count of Flanders from 1071 to his death in 1093. He was a son of Baldwin V, Count of Flanders and the younger brother of Baldwin VI, Count of Flanders. He usurped the countsh ...

, and

excommunicated Excommunication is an institutional act of religious censure used to end or at least regulate the communion of a member of a congregation with other members of the religious institution who are in normal communion with each other. The purpose ...

the

castellan A castellan is the title used in Medieval Europe for an appointed official, a governor of a castle and its surrounding territory referred to as the castellany. The title of ''governor'' is retained in the English prison system, as a remnant o ...

of Cambrai,

Hugh I of Oisy Hugh I of Oisy (died ''circa'' 1111) was the castellan of the town of Cambrai who rebelled against the authority of the bishops of the city.I. M. Resnick, "Odo of Cambrai and the Investiture Crisis in the Early Twelfth Century", ''Viator'' 28 (19 ...

, for which he got into conflict with the German Emperor.

Biography

About the life and realisations of bishop Lietbertus two sources are available: * Gesta Lietberti episcopi, written in two phases: ** phase 1, covering the period 1051–1054, probably by the continuator of the ''

Gesta episcoporum Cameracensium The ''Deeds of the Bishops of Cambrai'' ( la, Gesta episcoporum Cameracensium) is an anonymous Latin history of the diocese of Cambrai. It was commissioned around 1024 by Bishop Gerard I of Cambrai and completed shortly after his death in 1051. It ...

'' ** phase 2, covering the period 1055–1076. * Vita sancti Lietberti, written by Rodulfus, a monk of the abbey of Saint-Sépulcre. Edition: ''Vita Lietberti episcopi Cameracensis auctore Rudulfo monacho S. Sepuchri Cameracensis'', HOFMEISTER A. ed., MGH Scriptores 30-2 (Leipzig 1926, 1934) 838–868.

Notes

External links

Saints of June 23: Liebertus of Cambrai
1076 deaths Bishops of Cambrai 11th-century Christian saints Medieval French saints Year of birth unknown {{France-saint-stub