Aelred of Rievaulx
English monk, author and saint (1110–1167)
Feast: 12 January (not on the universal Roman calendar; kept in the Roman Martyrology or local calendars)
Who they were
Aelred was born at Hexham in 1109, son of a married priest, and served at the court of King David of Scotland, who loved him and wanted to make him a bishop. Instead he became a Cistercian monk at Rievaulx in Yorkshire, where as novice master he was long remembered for his extraordinary tenderness and patience.
In 1143 he led the monks who founded Revesby, and later became abbot of Rievaulx. He was a homilist and historian, and died in 1166.
The miracles
There was never a formal cause: he has been honoured as a saint since before the Church's formal processes began.
Why that counted as sanctity
A Cistercian abbot remembered for his tenderness and patience with those in his care.
- Catholic Encyclopedia (1913), via New Advent - St. Ælred
- Wikidata Q380845 — dates, feast day and identifiers (CC0)
- English Wikipedia — Aelred of Rievaulx (CC BY-SA)
Checked against the sources listed on 21 September 2026. Corrections welcome.