|Saint Bernard of
Clairvaux, Abbot - ca. 1090 - 1153
St. Bernard established the Cistercian order as a model for monastic reform throughout Europe and wrote influential commentaries on the Song of Songs and other topics. He is portrayed in the white habit of the order, often accompanied by a devil on a chain, which might refer to the temptations he overcame or possibly the exorcisms attributed to him in the Golden Legend. Another attribute is a white dog (example), referring to a dream his mother had when she was carrying him.
Feast day: August 20
At left, a Lippi painting of St. Bernard
A 1486 Filippino Lippi painting
A 1710 painting