Venerable Isarn of Marseille

Venerable Isarn of Marseille was born in 975 into a noble Provençal family. As a young man he entered the Abbey of Saint-Victor in Marseille, one of the oldest monasteries of Provence, which by then had fallen into decline both spiritually and materially. Having taken monastic vows, Isarn distinguished himself by the strictness of his ascetic life and in 1005 was elected abbot of the monastery. As abbot he carried out a decisive reform of monastic life along Cluniac lines, restoring strict community life, discipline, and canonical worship; he secured from secular and church authorities the return of lands and privileges taken from the monastery, considerably expanding and strengthening its holdings. Under him Saint-Victor became one of the most influential spiritual centers of southern France, exerting a reforming influence on other monasteries of the region. He governed the monastery for more than forty years. He died on September 24, 1048.