Burchard of Bellevaux

Burchard of Bellevaux (c. 1100-1165) was a Cistercian monk and author who was known for his work Apologia de barbis (A Defense of Beards). A student of the Cistercian reformer Bernard of Clairvaux, in 1136, he became abbot of the monastery of Balerne [fr], a Benedictine monastery that adopted the Cistercian reforms.[1] After 22 years there, he became the abbot of Bellevaux, where he composed the Apologia de barbis[2] sometime before his death around 1165.[3]

Opening page of Apologia de barbis (British Library Add MS 41997, f. 1r)
  1. ^ Chauvin, B. (1989). "Un disciple méconnu de Saint Bernard, Burchard, Abbé de Balerne puis de Bellevaux (Vers 1100-1164)". Cîteaux: Commentarii Cistercienses. 40: 6–12.
  2. ^ Constable, Giles (1998). The Reformation of the Twelfth Century (revised ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 195. ISBN 9780521638715.
  3. ^ Chauvin, B. (1989). "Un disciple méconnu de Saint Bernard, Burchard, Abbé de Balerne puis de Bellevaux (Vers 1100-1164)". Cîteaux: Commentarii Cistercienses: 30–1.