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Saint Adalgott (c. 1100–1160), also known as Adalgott of Disentis and of Einsiedeln, was a monk formed in Cistercian and Benedictine life who became abbot of Disentis Abbey in the Swiss Alps and later Bishop of Chur. Renowned for charity toward the sick and poor, monastic fidelity, and pastoral zeal, he founded a hospital and labored for the disadvantaged until his death near Disentis. His cult endures in Swiss Benedictine and diocesan tradition.
Saint Adalgott was born about the year 1100, most likely in the regions of what is now Switzerland or neighboring Swabia. Little is recorded of his family, yet from early years he was drawn to the monastic life. He entered the great Cistercian house of Clairvaux, where he came under the spiritual direction of Saint Bernard. There he received a thorough formation in Cistercian spirituality, theology, and the Rule of Saint Benedict, learning to unite contemplation with active charity.
In time Adalgott was appointed abbot of the ancient Benedictine Abbey of Disentis (Disentis/Mustér) in the Canton of Graubünden, a house founded centuries earlier on the Lukmanier Pass. As abbot he labored for the observance of the Rule, the stability of the community, and the care of the surrounding Alpine valleys. He became widely known for his tender solicitude toward the sick and the poor who sought the abbey's hospitality. Tradition also links him with the reform spirit associated with Einsiedeln, where he is remembered as having been a monk before his abbatial service.
Later he was named Bishop of Chur, the oldest diocese in Switzerland. In that office he continued to advocate for the suffering and the disadvantaged. In 1150 he founded a hospital, one of his most enduring works of mercy. He took part in the political and ecclesiastical affairs of his day, associated with Emperor Frederick Barbarossa and other princes of the Church, and proved a benefactor of religious houses such as those at Münster and Schännis. Throughout he remained a shepherd who used his authority to serve rather than to dominate.
Adalgott died on 3 October, in 1160 or 1165, at or near Disentis Abbey. He was buried at Chur, probably within the cathedral whose restoration he had promoted, though the precise site of his grave is no longer known. From the seventeenth century the Diocese of Chur has venerated him liturgically as a saint; his name also appears in the Cistercian calendar. In 1672 his relics, together with those of an earlier abbot of the same name, were enshrined in the abbey church at Disentis. His feast is kept on 3 October.
May Saint Adalgott intercede for us, and may we imitate today his compassionate care for the sick and the poor.
Fontes: Wikidata Wikipedia Causes of Saints Etiam relatus Wikidata
Calendarium Romanum Generale · Liturgical Calendar API
