BL. BERNHARD II OF BADEN, MARGRAVE OF BADEN-BADEN

BL. BERNHARD II OF BADEN, MARGRAVE OF BADEN-BADEN - 15 JULY

BLESSED BERNHARD II OF BADEN, MARGRAVE OF BADEN-BADEN

Bernard II of Baden, altar of the church in Babenhausen

Blessed Bernhard (Bernardus Marchio), commemorated on July 15 and July 24, was born c. 1428 as the son of Margrave Jacob of Baden (called Solomon of Germany because of his wisdom) and Catherine, daughter of Charles I of Lorraine. The father was keen to have his son educated in the sciences and brought him to the court of Emperor Frederick IV, where he stayed for a long time and led such a chaste life that he was more like a monk than a courtier.

When he had to take over the government after his father's death, he redoubled his works of mercy, but soon left his brother in charge, and was just planning to leave everything temporal to enter a monastery when an unexpected event intervened: On the occasion of the emperor's invasions, he was offered the imperial governorship in Italy, which office he gladly accepted.

When he and his entourage arrived in Montecalieri (a town on the river Po in Piedmont), Blessed Bernhard was attacked by a fatal illness from which he never recovered. Blessed Bernhard was carried to the Franciscan monastery there in order to prepare for the end of his life. He received the Blessed Sacrament for the last time this side of eternity and went to his eternal reward on July 15, 1458, around the age of thirty. His mortal remains are buried in the collegiate church of the Mother of God near the high altar.

Since the fame of all the miracles that took place at his grave became more and more widespread, Pope Sixtus IV set up an investigative commission on December 23, 1478 (at the request of Duchess Jolanta of Savoy) and in 1478 the beatification of this Servant of God was celebrated while Bernhard's mother and some of his brothers were still alive.

Blessed Bernhard was particularly venerated in the Abbey of Saint Vannes in Verdun and his memory was renewed by the last Catholic Margrave of the Baden-Baden tribe, August Georg Simpert (who died on October 21, 1771), by having his beatification confirmed by a bull of Clement XIV and making Blessed Bernhard patron of the Margraviate. In the Diocese of Strasbourg his feast is celebrated on July 24. Also, by a decree, the Holy See gave special permission to celebrate his festival in the Diocese of Constanz.

(Information from Stadler's Complete Encyclopedia of Saints, Volume 1, Augsburg, 1858, pp. 462-63)

Stadler's Complete Encyclopedia of Saints - Sources and Abbreviations

PRAYER:

Grant, we beseech you, almighty God, that the venerable feast of Blessed Bernhard may increase our devotion and promote our salvation. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.

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

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