Sister of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, Hombeline renounced worldly splendor after a profound conversion. After living in seclusion within her marriage for two years, she became the first abbess of the monastery of Jully-sur-Sarce. She led a life of austerity and prayer there until her death in 1141.
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SAINT HOMBELINE OR EMBELINE,
FIRST ABBESS OF JULLY-SUR-SARCE.
Conversion and repentance
Hombeline, adorned in splendor, is rejected by her monk brothers; touched by their severity, she renounces vanity and adopts a life of piety within her marriage.
to see her. He regarded this splendor as a trap set by the devil to lose his soul and that of his brothers. They, following Bernard's example, also refused to speak to her, and one of them, André, having been unable to avoid meeting her, only opened his mouth to address severe words to her. Ho mbeline, Hombeline Sister of Saint Bernard, abbess of Jully. touched by grace, burst into tears: "I know," she cried, "that I am but an unworthy sinner; but did Jesus Christ not die for those who resemble me? If my brother despises my body, let the servant of God not despise my soul. Let him come, let him order, let him command, and I will obey him, and I will do what he says.
Bernard could not resist any longer, and, accompanied by his brothers, he received the noble lady, who had become humble and repentant. He had a serious conversation with her, reconciled her with God, and gave her as a rule of life that which his own mother had kept in marriage: the flight from the vanities of the world, the cutting back of luxury in clothing, interior silence, and the practice of good works. Hombeline returned home, and her conversion was a subject of astonishment and edification for everyone. People admired in her the power of grace and blessed God who, in the midst of the century, caused a person of her rank to lead a life so opposed to the spirit of the age. She lived thus for two years with her husband, who then freed her from the yoke of marriage, according to the discipline of the Church, and permitted her to give herself entirely to the service of God.
Entry into the monastery of Jully
After being released from her matrimonial obligations, she retired to the monastery of Jully-sur-Sarce to follow the Rule of Saint Benedict under the direction of Bernard.
Having become free, Hombeline retired to the monastery of B monastère de Billette Place of monastic retreat and burial for the saint. illette (this is the name that the monastery of Jully-sur-Sarce bore for a long time), and there embraced t Règle de Saint-Benoît Founder of the Benedictine Order, cited as a chronological reference point. he Rule of Saint Benedict, under the eyes of the Abbot of Clairvaux. She spent the rest of her days there in penance, was chosen to lead her companions, and showed herself in all things worthy of Saint Bernard and his brothers. Often, she spent the night reciting psalms and meditating on the Passion of Jesus Christ; she barely granted herself a few moments of sleep, and even then, she only took this rest on the edges of her bed. The first to all exercises, she preferred to seek out the most arduous and humiliating tasks, wishing thus to expiate the pomp and pride that she had loved so much in the world.
Passing and Last Sacraments
Hombeline died in 1141, assisted by her brother Bernard and Prior Pierre, after sixteen years of rigorous penance.
Hombeline Hombeline Sister of Saint Bernard, abbess of Jully. lived for sixteen to seventeen years under the discipline of the monastery, and when her soul was purified by the austerities of her life, the tears of her penance, and the fire of her love for Jesus Christ, she went to receive in heaven the eternal reward for her labors. She had the consolation of being assisted in her final moments by the illustr l'illustre abbé de Clairvaux Contemporary and admirer of Guigo. ious Abbot of Clairvaux. Despite the exhaustion to which illness had reduced her, she found enough strength and clarity of mind to converse at length with her brothers about divine things and the infinite mercy of God toward her; she particularly thanked Bernard for his charity toward her, attributing her conversion to him after God, then she expired gently in his arms and those of the bles bienheureux Pierre Prior of the monastery and confessor of Hombeline. sed Pierre, prior of the monastery and her confessor. It was the year 1141, and Hombeline was entering the fiftieth year of her age.
Cult and posterity
Her memory is honored on August 21 in Cistercian and French calendars, and her relics rest at Jully-sur-Sarce.
Her death is marked in the necrology of Cîteaux and in the martyrology of France on August 21, the day after the feast of Saint Bernard, undoubtedly to join the cult of the sister to that of the brother. However, there is no mention of her in the Roman martyrology.
Her authentic relics are in the chu rch of Jully-su Jully-sur-Sarce Place of monastic retreat and burial for the saint. r-Sarce.
Sources and additional mentions
The text relies on the works of Abbé Defar and briefly mentions Saint Avitus of Clermont.
Excerpt from the Life of the Saints by Trogas, by Abbé Defar.
SAINT AVITUS I, BISHOP OF CLERMONT AND CONFESSOR. 103
Annexes & related entities
Structured data for exploration: events, miracles, quotes, places, attributes, patronages, and important entities cited in the text.
Key Events
- Conversion following a stern encounter with her brothers
- Life of penance within marriage for two years
- Entered the monastery of Billette (Jully-sur-Sarce) with her husband's consent
- Elected abbess to lead her companions
- Died at the age of fifty, assisted by Saint Bernard
Quotes
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If my brother despises my body, let the servant of God not despise my soul.
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