Saint Bruno

Eremitical life was heaven on earth for Saint Bruno, it allowed him to meditate on God and taste “a peace that the world does not know, favouring the joy of the Holy Spirit.” Before withdrawing from the world, St. Bruno of Cologne (c. 1030-1101), scholar in theology and philosophy, directed the schools of Reims for twenty years, where one of his former students, the Benedictine Eudes de Châtillon, later became blessed Urban II. His clash with a bishop he accused of simony, forced him to leave France in 1076, but he was to return four years later following the deposition of the same prelate. It was during that difficult period that his vocation for monastic life matured.

He lived for a while in Molesme under the guidance of St. Robert (before the latter founded the Cistercian Order), but later left in search of a more solitary place. With six other companions he sought help from the Bishop of Grenoble, Saint Ugo (1053-1132), who guided them personally - driven by a vision in a dream of seven pilgrims and seven stars (the Carthusian symbol is a globe surmounted by a cross, with a chaplet of seven stars) - to a valley in the Chartreuse massif: in 1084 the Gran Certosa arose, the first monastery of what would become the Carthusian Order and one of the most rigorous monastic orders of the Church. Bruno and the brothers adopted a very austere way of life and their days were marked mainly by manual work and prayer, including night time.

His friend Urban II called him to Rome to be his advisor, but time ran short when the pontiff was expelled by supporters of the antipope Clement III (Guiberto of Ravenna), causing Bruno to follow him to southern Italy. Urban II wanted to name him archbishop, but the saint felt a different calling and obtained permission to return to contemplative life. Ruggero d’Altavilla gave him land (800m.) in Calabria which today is called Serra San Bruno in his honour. Here he founded another Charter house and a hermitage which he considered his favourite place to meet God meditating on the celestial mysteries: "In my meditation, the love I already possessed began to grow more and more, like a flaming fire". Iconographic representations of the saint usually include a skull, a book and the cross.

Patron of: Calabria; invoked for liberation from diabolical possession.