Bernard degli Uberti

Bernardo degli Uberti (c. 1060 – 4 December 1133) was an Italian Roman Catholic prelate who was a professed member and served as an abbot of the Vallumbrosan Order. Uberti served as the Bishop of Parma from 1106 until his death and was appointed as a cardinal. He came from the noble Uberti house from Florence. Uberti served as a papal legate for successive popes in several Italian regions in their disputes with secular rulers and was a close confidant and advisor to the Countess Matilda. He is often considered the third founding father of the order alongside Benedict of Nursia (the order was a branch of the Benedictines) and Giovanni Gualberto.

Uberti's fame for holiness became so great that miracles were reported on a frequent basis at his tomb. This led to Pope Innocent II naming Uberti a saint only six years after his death, on 3 December 1139.

Life Bernardo degli Uberti was born circa 1060 in Florence to the nobles Bruno degli Uberti and Ligarda. His paternal grandfather was Corbizo. He was the nephew of Pietro Igneo.

Bernardo's father died sometime in 1085, and it was on 1 July 1085 that he made a donation to the San Salvi convent for his father's repose. But he also became a monk in the Vallumbrosans and he later made another donation for the repose of his father and grandfather on 26 April 1089. and was later elected as the Superior-General for the congregation in 1098, after the death of the abbot Almarius of Vallambrosa. On 7 March 1100, he presided over a meeting of all the order's abbots to discuss important resolutions on both organization and discipline.

In 1097, Pope Urban II named Uberti Cardinal-Priest of San Crisogono. He worked at the Lateran until 1101, when he was appointed papal legate to Lombardy and began to serve as an advisor to Countess Matilda. On 7 April 1101, he was sent as a legate to Grosseto and on 4 May 1101 was with Matilda in Governolo where she restituted some lands to the pope upon his advice. He was exiled again in 1127, after opposing the proclamation of Conrad II.

In September 1104, he served as an advisor to the countess in both Cosogno and Modena while on 20 March 1105, he was in the Lateran Palace to sign a papal bull for the pope. Uberti tried to return to Parma in August 1105 to recruit troopers for the pope in his struggle against the German king but this venture proved unsuccessful.

He was later appointed as the Bishop of Parma in October 1106 at the Council of Guastalla where the pope made the announcement. He received his episcopal consecration from Paschal II himself in Parma in November. In February 1111, he and Roman Curia were removed from Rome and imprisoned at the behest of the emperor. The pope too had been taken prisoner but it was the countess who managed to obtain their release. But Paschal II decided to crown the emperor and Uberti attended this event in Rome on 13 April 1113. on 4 December 1133 and was interred in the Parma cathedral. He was the subject of paintings that Bernardino Gatti and Pietro Perugino made.

Canonization Uberti's canonization was solemnized on 3 December 1139, after Pope Innocent II proclaimed him to be a saint. Pope Alexander VII and Pope Clement IX made extensions on his liturgical feast for the Parma diocese.