St Albert of Louvain was also known as Alberto di Lovanio.
He was the Bishop of Liege born in 1166 in Louvain, Brabant, Belgium.
He was stabbed and died on November 24 1192 in Reims, France.
We celebrate his feast day on November 24 every year in the Catholic Church.
St Albert of Louvain Biography | |
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Date of Birth | 1166 |
Place of Birth | Louvain, Brabant, Belgium |
Profession | Bishop of Liege |
Date of Death | November 24 1192 |
Place of Death | Reims, France |
Feast Day | November 24 |
Canonization | By Pope Paul V on August 9 1613 in Rome, Papal States |
Patron Saint of |
St Albert of Louvain’s Life History
St. Albert of Louvain was born in 1166 in Brabant, located in what is now modern Belgium. He was the son of Duke Godfrey III of Brabant.
At the age of 12, he was appointed as a canon in Liege, Belgium, which was a political placement aimed at ensuring a steady income rather than a genuine religious calling.
However, at the age of 21, he decided to leave this position and became a knight in the service of Count Baldwin V of Hainault, who happened to be a bitter adversary of Albert’s native Brabant.
Although he spoke of going on a Crusade, he never embarked on one and eventually realized that his true vocation lay in religious life.
He returned to Liege, this time as a canon driven by a genuine calling to the religious life.
Subsequently, he held the positions of archdeacon and provost of Brabant before being appointed as the Bishop of Liege in 1191.
Albert of Rethel, who was both a cousin of Count Baldwin and an uncle of Empress Constance (the wife of Holy Roman Emperor Henry VI), had sought the episcopacy.
He appealed to the emperor for support, and as a result, Henry removed Albert from the position and appointed a third candidate, Lothaire, who was the provost of Bonn, Germany, as the new Bishop of Liege.
In response, Albert appealed to the Vatican, both for his own cause and to help clarify the Pope’s supremacy in such matters.
Pope Celestine III declared Albert’s election as Bishop of Liege valid, reinstating him to the position.
However, Lothair refused to relinquish the see, and Henry stood by him, coercing the clergy in the diocese to submit to Lothair.
Bruno, the archbishop of Cologne, Germany, was supposed to ordain Albert, but he declined due to fear of the emperor.
William, the archbishop of Rheims, France, ordained Albert as a priest and then consecrated him as a bishop.
In an attempt to resolve the matter in favor of the emperor, a group of Henry’s knights ambushed and killed Albert on the road outside Rheims.
This plan, however, had unintended consequences: Lothair was excommunicated and exiled, and Henry was compelled to submit to the authority of Rome and perform penance.
Lay investiture, the practice of civil authorities controlling ordinations, suffered another significant setback.
St. Albert of Louvain died on November 21, 1192, after being stabbed on the road outside Rheims, France.
He was buried in Rheims, and his relics were later transferred to a Carmelite convent in Brussels, Belgium, in 1612.
Some of his relics were subsequently relocated to the cathedral in Liege, Belgium, in 1822. He was canonized in 1621 by Pope Paul V.
Saint Albert is often depicted as a bishop holding three swords, a bishop with a knife or sword in his hand, a bishop who was stabbed with a sword or knife, or a bishop bearing the coat of arms of Brabant.
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Other Saints Whose Feast Days are in November
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