Pierre de Murat de Cros

Pierre de Murat de Cros, O.S.B., ( 1320 – 1388) was a French monk of aristocratic origins who became a cardinal of the Avignon Obedience during the Great Schism, as well as the Archbishop of Arles and the Chamberlain of the Apostolic Camera (Latin: Camerarius Apostolicus). Refusing from the day of his election to support Bartolomeo Prignano (Pope Urban VI, the former head of the rival Apostolic Chancellery) after the Papal Conclave of 1378, de Cros played a critical role in delivering a considerable portion of the Roman Curia to the rival claimant Robert of Geneva, who took the name Clement VII. Historian Daniel Williman calls Murat de Cros's actions a "counter-coup".

Early life De Cros was the cousin of Pope Gregory XI (shown here blessing St. Catherine of Siena, who repeatedly importuned him to move the seat of the papacy back to Rome), and was the brother of cardinal-nephew Jean de Murat de Cros. Both are possibly depicted here.

Pierre was born in La Chaul in the ancient Province of Limousin. He was the son of Aymar de Murat de Cros, a nobleman of Auvergnat extraction, and of Marie de Montclar. He entered the Order of Saint Benedict in his youth, and after living in several French monasteries became Bishop of Saint-Papoul in July 1362. On 9 June 1370 he was transferred to the Metropolitan See of Bourges.

Pierre was the brother of Jean de Murat de Cros, who became the Bishop of Limoges, and both were cousins of Pope Gregory XI and thus favored by him in the administration of the Curia, after his election in 1370. Senator Gui de Prohins, named as military governor of Rome by Gregory XI, was not a party to their intrigues, being loyal to the Pope. From that time he was known as Cardinalis Arelatensis, the "Cardinal of Arles". In April 1385 he was legate of Clement VII to Queen Maria of Naples in Villeneuve-lès-Avignon. He died at Avignon on 16 November 1388.