- Anthelm of Belley
Infobox Saint
name= Saint Anthelm of Belley
birth_date=1107
death_date=1178
feast_day=June 26
venerated_in=Roman Catholic Church
imagesize= 250px
caption=
birth_place= near Chambéry
death_place= Belley
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attributes=depicted holding a lamp lit by a divine hand
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issues=Anthelm of Belley (1107 – 1178) was a
prior of theCarthusian Grand Chartreuse andbishop of Belley .He was born near
Chambéry in 1107. He would later receive an ecclesiastical benefice in the area of Belley. When he was thirty years old, he resigned from this position to become a Carthusian monk atPortes . Only two years after joining the order, he was made the prior of the Grande Chartreuse, the motherhouse of his order, which had recently incurred substantial damage.He was an effective administrator there. While under his direction, the community increased in numbers and fervency. He restored and improved the buildings, including constructing a defensive wall and an
aqueduct . The rules of the order were standardized, and changed to allow women the opportunity to enter the order in their own houses. He also brought the other houses of the order into closer alignment with the motherhouse. The monks under his direction includedHugh of Lincoln , who expressed great fondness for Anthelm.Anthelm continued in his office almost constantly for twenty-four years, barring a period of a few years when he was a
hermit . After that period, in 1152, Anthelm returned to the Grand Chartreuse, and helped defend the sittingPope Alexander III against the antipope Victor IV. Alexander III appointed Anthelm bishop of Belley in 1163. In that position, he is said to have been fearless and uncompromising, working to reform the clergy and regulate the affairs of the diocese. One example of his fearlessness occurred in 1175, when Anthelm excommunicatedCount Humbert of Maurienne for having taken one priest captive and murdering another priest who had tried to free him. Humbert appealed his excommunication toPope Alexander III , who reversed Humbert's excommunication. Anthelm, who believed that Humbert was not penitent for his misconduct, withdrew from his diocese in protest.Pope Alexander then commissioned Anthelm to travel to England to try to reconcile
Henry II of England andThomas Becket . Anthelm's health was such that he was unable to take the journey. Anthelm returned to Belley to help care for the poor and the lepers of the area.Anthelm died at Belley in 1178. On his deathbed, he received Humbert, and recognized that at that time Humbert truly had repented of his earlier acts.
Veneration
He is considered a
saint of theRoman Catholic Church , with afeast day ofJune 26 . His feast has been celebrated by the Carthusians since 1607. His relics were enshrined in Belley.In art, Anthelm is depicted holding a lamp lit by a divine hand.
References
*Attwater, Donald and Catherine Rachel John. "The Penguin Dictionary of Saints". 3rd edition. New York: Penguin Books, 1993. ISBN 0-140-51312-4.
* [http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=1436 Catholic online article on St. Anthelm] , retrieved 23 May 2007.
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