Peter of Tarentaise

Infobox Saint
name=Peter of Tarentaise
birth_date=1102
death_date=1174
feast_day=8 May
venerated_in=Roman Catholic Church


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birth_place=Saint-Maurice-l'Exil near Vienne, a town ot the Rhône-Alpes
death_place=Bellevaux Abbey
titles=Bishop
beatified_date=
beatified_place=
beatified_by=
canonized_date=1191
canonized_place=
canonized_by=Pope Celestine III
attributes=
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major_shrine=
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Peter of Tarentaise (1102 – 1174) was a Roman Catholic abbot and bishop. He has been declared a saint by that church, with a feast day of May 8.

Biography

He was born at Saint-Maurice-l'Exil near Vienne, a town in the Rhône-Alpes, 1102. He joined the Cistercian order, in so doing setting a model for several other members of his family. In 1132, he became the abbot of the monastery at Tamié in the Tarentaise area of Savoy. In 1142, he reluctantly accepted the position as the Bishop of Tarentaise. In that capacity, he applied the Cistercian principles he had learned as an abbott to restore the then decaying diocese, and met with a good deal of success in doing so.

His specific concerns included the welfare of travelers to and from Switzerland and Italy. For their convenience, he rebuilt an inadequate hospice at Little St Bernard Pass. He also funded a charity which distributed food to farms in the surrounding hills during May. This would take the name of "pain de Mai" (May-bread) and become a tradition continued in the region until the French Revolution.

He does not seem to have been particularly happy as a bishop, however. It was reported that in 1155 he disappeared for a year, only to be found in a remote abbey in Switzerland. He also visited the Grand Chartreuse frequently while bishop. There, he was looked after by a monk who would later become known as Saint Hugh of Lincoln.

He also worked on behalf of Pope Alexander III in his struggles with Antipope Victor, who was contending for the position of Pope. Because of his efforts, he was later appointed to assist in negotiations between Louis VII of France and Henry II of England. He died while doing so, at Bellevaux, in 1174.

Veneration

He is venerated as a saint by the Roman Catholic Church, having been canonized in 1191. His feast day is May 8.

References

*Attwater, Donald and Catherine Rachel John. "The Penguin Dictionary of Saints". London:Penguin Books, 3rd edition, 1995. ISBN 0-140-51312-4.
*cite web | last =Rabenstein | first =Katherine | title =Peter of Tarentaise, OSB Cist. B (RM) | work =Saints O' the Day for May 8 | date =August 1999 | url =http://www.saintpatrickdc.org/ss/0508.htm | accessdate =2007-04-25