HENRY OF MARCY, CARDINAL BISHOP OF ALBANO - 14 JULY

 

ALL SAINTS CELEBRATED IN JULY

Saints celebrated on the 14th of July

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HENRY OF MARCY, CARDINAL BISHOP OF ALBANO 

Hautcombe Abbey in 1865

Henry (Henri, Henricus), surnamed of Marcy, a Frenchman, Cardinal Bishop of Albano, entered the Order of the Cistercians at an early age, sacrificing his nobility to Christ. Before long, he was elected abbot of Hautcombe, in the diocese of Geneva. 

After he steadfastly refused to become bishop of Toulouse (although he had been unanimously elected), he was made abbot of Clairvaux. Pope Alexander III enrolled him among the cardinals. It thus became very likely that Henry would in due course become the successor of Pope Urban III. 

This holy cardinal, however, declared publicly and irrevocably that he had made preaching the cross his exclusive mission in life. And so Henry went down into the history books as a man highly successful in combating the errors of Mohammed and the Albigensians. 

He died, full of merits and with the reputation for greatest piety in 1189 (according to Lechner* in 1187) at Arras (Atrebatum). His holy passing occurred during the  Pontificate of Clement III. Henry rests at Clairvaux. Lechner* calls Henry godly, listing him November 22; Chalemot* gives him the title blessed, mentioning him on January 11, but at the same time specifies that July 14 is the day of his veneration (III. 627).

Information from Stadler's Complete Encyclopedia of Saints, Volume 2, Augsburg, 1861, p. 647 - 📷 Hautcombe Abbey, historical albumen print from 1865, Paul Getty Museum 

*A hagiography source used by the authors 

Stadler's Complete Encyclopedia of Saints - Sources and Abbreviations

Sources of these articles (in the original German): books.google.co.uk, de-academic.com, zeno.org, openlibrary.org