Robert of Molesme (1028 – 17 April 1111) was an abbot, and a founder of the Cistercian Order. He is venerated as a Christian saint.
Life
Robert was born about 1029 near Troyes, a younger son of Thierry and Ermengarde, nobles of Champagne. He entered the Benedictine abbey of Montier-la-Celle near Troyes at age fifteen and rose to the office of prior.
He was made abbot of Saint Michel-de-Tonnerre around the year 1070, but he soon discovered that the monks were quarrelsome and disobedient, so he returned to Montier-la-Celle.
Meanwhile, two hermits from a group of monks who had settled at Collan went to Rome and asked Pope Gregory VII to appoint Robert as their superior. The pope granted their request, and by 1074, Robert served as their leader. Soon after, Robert moved the small community to Molesme in the valley of Langres in Burgundy. Initially, the establishment consisted of only huts made of branches surrounding a chapel in the forest, dedicated to the Holy Trinity. Molesme Abbey quickly became known for its piety and sanctity, and Robert's reputation as a saintly man grew. Robert and twenty-one of his monks left Molesme with the intention of never returning. Renaud, the Viscount of Beaune, gave this group a desolate valley in a deep forest
Robert died on 17 April 1111, and Pope Honorius III canonized him in 1222. His feast day in the Roman Catholic Church is also on 17 April, with the Benedictines celebrating him, along with Alberic of Cîteaux and Stephen Harding on February 26.
The Vie de saint Robert de Molesme was written by Guy, his immediate successor as abbot of Molesme.