HILDEBERT OF LAVARDIN (of Le Mans, of Tours, Hildebertus Cenomanensis). - Bishop and theologian, b. in 1056 at Lavardin (diocese of Le Mans), d. at Tours on 18 Dec. 1133. Trained in the flourishing school of Le Mans and having become its head, he was elected archdeacon (1092) by Bishop Hoel, whom he succeeded in 1097. Having overcome the difficulties that William, king of England, and Elias, count of Maine, raised against his election, he devoted himself with zeal to the care of his diocese. After a journey to Rome and to Sicily, where he received a warm welcome from Roger, son of Guiscard, he fought against the supporters of Henry and succeeded in completing the construction of the Cathedral. In 1125 he became archbishop of Tours and with the help of the Pope was able to resist lay interference in ecclesiastical affairs. A partisan, in good faith, of Pier Leoni (the antipope Anacletus), he was brought back to obedience to the true pope, Innocent II, by St. Bernard.
His numerous works, praised by his contemporaries, were printed in full for the first time by dom Beaugendre, Ven. Hildeberti Thronensis arch. opera tam edita quam inedita (Paris 1708). This edition was harshly criticized by the Benedictines, authors of the Histoire littéraire de la France, XI (Paris 1754), by the Augustinian X. Schier, Dissertatio de Hildeberti operibus, eorum geminitate, integritate, editionibus (Vienna 1767), by V. Leclerc, in the observations added to the 2nd ed. of the Histoire littéraire, XI (Paris 1869), pp. 20-26, and by Hauréau (v. bibl.). Despite this Bourassé republished it, with supplements, in PL. 171, 1-1463. The substantial epistolary collection (177 letters) is valuable for dogmatics, piety and history (for example, letters 11, 21, 22 deal with the imprisonment of Paschal II). Written in good Latin and rich in fine observations, these letters were much relished in the Middle Ages and constitute I.'s best work. Hauréau's criticism has been more severe with regard to his oratorical work: of the 141 sermones attributed to him, 54 are by Geoffrey Babion, 25 by Peter Lombard, 24 by Peter Comestor, 7 by Maurice of Sully, 21 by unknown authors, 4 are of doubtful authenticity, 4 certainly belong to him and confirm for him the ancient fame of sonora Christi tuba. The vast poetic work concerns principally the Eucharist (De mysterio Missae; De sacra Eucharistia). Father Hurter printed separately (SS. Patrum opuscula selecta, XXXIX, Innsbruck 1879, pp. 274-84) the concise and closely argued Tractatus de Sacramento altaris. In hagiography his Vitae ss. Redegundis et Hugonis cluniacensis are known. Ascetics is touched upon in the dialogue in prose and verse De quærimonia et conflictu carnis et spiritus. Dogmatics is developed, in a form that heralds the scholastic method, in the Tractatus theologicus, concerning whose authenticity doubts are raised.