CASTELNAU, Pierre de, Blessed. - Cistercian, b. in the castle of Château-neuf near Montpellier, killed near St-Gilles on 15 Jan. 1208. Being archdeacon of the diocese of Maguelone, he was a companion of Rainier, legate of Innocent III against the Albigensian heresy (1199). Having then entered the Cistercian Order at Fontfroide (1202), Innocent III appointed him, together with two others, legate against the Albigensians. He worked with zeal, but without great success. In Jan. 1208 he had a meeting with the ambiguous Raymond VI, count of Toulouse, whose hatred he drew upon himself. On his return an individual in the service of the count ran him through with a lance at the moment when Peter wished to cross the Rhone. The killing of his legate induced Innocent III to proclaim the first Crusade against the Albigensians. Besides in his Order (5 March), Peter has public cult in the dioceses of Nimes (15 Jan.), of Carcassonne (4 March) and of Montpellier (5 March).

Bibliography5 works

BIBL.: P. di Vaux Cernai, Hist. Albigensium, chaps. 1-8; PL. 213, 543-60; Acta SS. Martii, I, Paris 1865, pp. 409-15; O. Raynaldi, Annales ecclesiastici, Lucca 1747, at 1208, nos. 15-24, pp. 269-73; A. Luchaire, Innocent III. La Croisade des albigesis, 3rd ed., Paris 1911, pp. 70-80 and passim.

Livario Oliger

@incollection{ec3_castelnau_pierre_de_beato, author = {Oliger, Livario}, title = {Castelnau, pierre de, beato}, booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica}, volume = {III}, pages = {1024--1025}, note = {Cited by column}, publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico}, address = {Città del Vaticano}, year = {1949}, url = {https://azioneromana.com/article/castelnau-pierre-de-beato} }

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Castelnau, Pierre de, Blessed

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