Venerable Bernard degli Uberti

Bernardo degli Uberti (c. 1060 – 4 December 1133) was an Italian Roman Catholic prelate who was a professed member and served as an abbot of the Vallumbrosan Order. Uberti served as the Bishop of Parma from 1106 until his death and was appointed as a cardinal. He came from the noble Uberti house from Florence. Uberti served as a papal legate for successive popes in several Italian regions in their disputes with secular rulers and was a close confidant and advisor to the Countess Matilda. He is often considered the third founding father of the order alongside Benedict of Nursia (the order was a branch of the Benedictines) and Giovanni Gualberto. Uberti's fame for holiness became so great that miracles were reported on a frequent basis at his tomb. This led to Pope Innocent II naming Uberti a saint only six years after his death, on 3 December 1139. Bernardo degli Uberti was born circa 1060 in Florence to the nobles Bruno degli Uberti and Ligarda. His paternal grandfather was Corbizo. He was the nephew of Pietro Igneo. Bernardo's father died sometime in 1085 and it was on 1 July 1085 that he made a donation to the San Salvi convent for his father's repose. But he also became a monk in the Vallumbrosans and he later made another donation for the repose of his father and grandfather on 26 April 1089. He became the abbot for San Salvi (1092-1099) and was later elected as the Superior-General for the congregation in 1098 after the death of the abbot Almarius of Vallambrosa. On 7 March 1100, he presided over a meeting of all the order's abbots to discuss important resolutions on both organization and discipline. In 1097 Pope Urban II named Uberti Cardinal-Priest of San Crisogono. He worked at the Lateran until 1101 when he was appointed papal legate to Lombardy and began to serve as an advisor to Countess Matilda.