Gerald of Braga

Saint Gerald of Braga
Bishop of Braga
BornCahors, Gascony, Kingdom of France
DiedDecember 5, 1109
Bornes, Vila Pouca de Aguiar, Kingdom of Galicia
Venerated inRoman Catholic Church
FeastDecember 5

Gerald of Braga was a bishop of Braga.

Gerald was born in Cahors, Gascony, and became a Benedictine monk at Moissac, France.[1]

Archbishop Bernhard of Toledo, also a Cluniac monk, admired the liturgical singing in the monastery and asked Gerald to renew the liturgical music in Toledo. He served as the cathedral choir director.

In 1100, Gerald became Bishop of Braga in Portugal and ended ecclesiastical investiture by laypeople in his diocese. He baptised Afonso I of Portugal.

Gerald died on December 5, 1109, and was buried in Braga Cathedral.

The Vita Sancti Geraldi was written by one Bernard, a companion and fellow Cluniac monk from France.[2]

References