PIETRO, Archbishop of TARANTASIA, saint. – He was one of the most illustrious saints of the 12th century for his miracles and social influence. Born in 1102 at St-Maurice-de-l'Exil in the diocese of Vienne (now Grenoble), he died in the monastery of Bellevaux (Bellavallis) on 6 May 1174.
Brought up piously by modest parents, at the age of 20 he entered the Cistercian monastery of Bonnevaux (Bonavallis) near Vienne. In 1132 he was sent as abbot to found at Tamié (Stamedium) in Tarantasia (Savoy) a monastery intended to shelter travelers. There he was admired for his austerity and heroic charity. Elected Archbishop of Tarantasia in 1141, after the deposition of the unworthy Isdrael, he accepted the office in obedience to the General Chapter of Cîteaux and to St. Bernard. He reorganized the diocese, visiting parishes, erecting hospices, regulating charity toward the poor and the sick. To escape the veneration aroused by his miracles, he hid in the monastery of Lucella near Basel; but he was found and
PIETRO DI TARANTASIA - PIETRO DA VERONA
1450
and legate of Avignon and the Venaissin. His letters and memoirs, especially addressed to the French court and the University of Paris, reveal the part he played in curbing the Western Schism.