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Home > Catholic Encyclopedia > S > St. Stephen Harding


ST. STEPHEN HARDING

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Confessor, the third Abbot of Cîteaux, was born at Sherborne in Dorsetshire,
England, about the middle of the eleventh century; died 28 March, 1134. He
received his early education in the monastery of Sherborne and afterwards
studied in Paris and Rome. On returning from the latter city he stopped at the
monastery of Molesme and, being much impressed by the holiness of St. Robert,
the abbot, joined that community. Here he practised great austerities, became
one of St. Robert's chief supporters and was one of the band of twenty-one monks
who, by authority of Hugh, Archbishop of Lyons, retired to Cïteaux to institute
a reform in the new foundation there. When St. Robert was recalled to Molesme
(1099), Stephen became prior of Cïteaux under Alberic, the new abbot. On
Alberic's death (1110) Stephen, who was absent from the monastery at the time,
was elected abbot. The number of monks was now very reduced, as no new members
had come to fill the places of those who had died. Stephen, however, insisted on
retaining the strict observance originally instituted and, having offended the
Duke of Burgundy, Cïteaux's great patron, by forbidding him or his family to
enter the cloister, was even forced to beg alms from door to door. It seemed as
if the foundation were doomed to die out when (1112) St. Bernard with thirty
companions joined the community. This proved the beginning of extraordinary
prosperity. The next year Stephen founded his first colony at La Ferté, and
before is death he had established thirteen monasteries in all. His powers as an
organizer were exceptional, he instituted the system of general chapters and
regular visitations and, to ensure uniformity in all his foundations, drew up
the famous "Charter of Charity" or collection of statutes for the government of
all monasteries united to Cïteaux, which was approved by Pope Callistus II in
1119 (see CISTERCIANS). In 1133 Stephen, being now old, infirm, and almost
blind, resigned the post of abbot, designating as his successor Robert de Monte,
who was accordingly elected by the monks. The saint's choice, however, proved
unfortunate and the new abbot only held office for two years.



Stephen was buried in the tomb of Alberic, his predecessor, in the cloister of
Cîteaux. In the Roman calendar his feast is 17 April, but the Cistercians
themselves keep it on 15 July, with an octave, regarding him as the true founder
of the order. Besides the "Carta Caritatis" he is commonly credited with the
authorship of the "Exordium Cisterciencis cenobii", which however may not be
his. Two of his sermons are preserved and also two letters (Nos. 45 and 49) in
the "Epp. S. Bernardi".


ABOUT THIS PAGE

APA citation. Huddleston, G. (1912). St. Stephen Harding. In The Catholic
Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14290d.htm

MLA citation. Huddleston, Gilbert. "St. Stephen Harding." The Catholic
Encyclopedia. Vol. 14. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1912.
<http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14290d.htm>.

Transcription. This article was transcribed for New Advent by Michael C.
Tinkler.

Ecclesiastical approbation. Nihil Obstat. July 1, 1912. Remy Lafort, S.T.D.,
Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York.

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