Bernard de Périgord explained

Bernard de Périgord (died 1149) was the first bishop of the restored diocese of Zamora from 1121 until his death.^[1] He was born in the Périgord, a region in the north of the Duchy of Aquitaine in central France.

As a young man, Bernard accompanied Bernard de Sedirac, his countryman, to Spain and there entered the church of Toledo, where he became an archdeacon.^[2] In 1121 he was elected to replace the late Jérôme, also from Périgord, who had served as de facto bishop of Zamora since about 1102. Bernard began construction on the new cathedral of Zamora and reorganised the cathedral chapter.^[2] He created a diocesan administration from scratch and began the repoblación (officially-sponsored resettlement) of the region with Christians. All his surviving charters are fueros de población granting rights to, and establishing the responsibilities of, new settlers (pobladores).^[3]

Bernard also oversaw the foundation of two monasteries in his diocese, including Valparaíso, one of the earliest Cistercian houses in Spain.^[2]

Further reading

• F. Fita. "Bernardo de Périgord, arcediano de Toledo y obispo de Zamora". Boletín de la Real Academia de la Historia 14 (1889), 456–61.

Notes and References

1. His epitaph describes him as primus episcopus Zamorensis de modernis: "the first Zamoran bishop of modern [times]", cf. Richard A. Fletcher (1978) The Episcopate in the Kingdom of León in the Twelfth Century (Oxford: Oxford University Press), 43.
2. Fletcher (1978), 43–44.
3. The confirmation granted to those at Fuentesauco in March 1133 is printed in Latin from a cartulary copy of the 13th century in Fletcher (1978), 238, Appendix VII.