St Bertin the Great was an abbot of Saint-Omer monastery which was later named the Abbey of Saint Bertin.
He was born at the beginning of the 7th century in Constance in Germany.
He died in Saint-Omer Monastery, in Morini, France at the beginning of the 8th century.
We celebrate his feast day on September 5 every year in the Catholic Church.
| St Bertin the Great Biography | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Date of Birth | Beginning of the 7th century |
| Place of Birth | Constance, Germany |
| Profession | Abbot |
| Place of Work | Morini, France |
| Date of Death | Beginning of the 8th century |
| Place of Death | Saint-Omer Monastery, Morini, France |
| Feast Day | September 5 |
| Canonization | Precongregation |
| Patron Saint of | |
St Bertin the Great Life History
St Bertin was born near Constance, Germany. When he was young, he joined the Abbey of Luxeuil, where Columbanus the abbot mentored him under the austere rule.
Around the year 638 AD, St Bertin with two other colleagues, Mummolin and Ebertram, journeyed to the hardship-stricken northern part of France to help his friend, Bishop Omer, to evangelize to the people of Morini. This area was at that time marshy and hilly with overgrown seaweed.
It is on one of these hills that Bertin and his companions built a small house that they used as the center to evangelize daily to the natives, most of whom were still pagans.
After much success in their evangelization, they built a larger monastery on a track of land called Sythiu which had been donated to Bishop Omer by a convert named Adrowald.
The community around Sythiu grew rapidly and their monastery became small to accommodate everyone. They built a new one where the city of St. Omer now stands.
St Bertin’s learning and sanctity inspired so many people such that around 150 people became monks within a very short time and lived under his rule.
St Bertin managed to convert to Christianity almost the whole region of Morini and transformed it into a fertile and productive area.
Bertin began to be venerated as a saint soon after his death. His feast day is celebrated on September 5 every year.
Later on around the 11th century, Saint-Omer monastery’s name was changed to Abbey of Saint Bertin.
The monks were expelled in 1791 by the invading forces of the French Revolutionary Army and in 1799 the abbey and its church were sold at auction. The abbey church is now in ruins.
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