Bruno was born in Cologne, where he became a priest after studying at the cathedral school in Reims. Later, he returned to Reims as a teacher and director of that same school. A gifted master and theologian, Bruno left us two important biblical commentaries—one on the Psalms and another on the letters of Saint Paul.
He eventually became chancellor of the archdiocese of Reims, but came into conflict with his bishop, Manassès, whom he accused of having obtained his position through simony. Forced to flee, Bruno only returned when Pope Gregory VII removed Manassès from office. The clergy chose Bruno to succeed him, but he was never able to take possession of the see, since the king supported a rival candidate.
Not out of resentment, but out of love for a life of prayer, Bruno withdrew near the monastery of Molesme, at Sèche-Fontaine, where Saint Robert allowed him to establish a hermitage. Soon six others joined him, desiring the same solitude. Together they went to Grenoble, where Bishop Hugh gave them a remote and beautiful mountain valley called Chartreuse. There, at the Grande Chartreuse, the Carthusian Order began—although Bruno himself never intended to found an order.
Later, Pope Urban II—who had once been Bruno’s student in Reims—called him to Rome and entrusted him with the church of Saint Cyriacus, located in the old Baths of Diocletian. Centuries later, Michelangelo transformed that site into the magnificent Carthusian monastery of Santa Maria degli Angeli, whose church, cloister, and monastic cells can still be admired today.
But city life did not suit Bruno’s companions, and many returned to Grenoble. Bruno himself became a close advisor to the pope. While helping to establish new Carthusian houses in southern Italy, he died in solitude in 1101, in the desert of La Torre, in the diocese of Squillace, Calabria.
By 1510, the Carthusians had grown to ninety-five monasteries. Today, their number has diminished to around twenty, but they remain faithful to Bruno’s vision: a life of silence, prayer, and union with God.
