St Albert the Great

Mention of Saint Albert the Great might have some British people wondering if a mistake has been made – “Surely you mean Alfred the Great, and since when has he been a saint?” However, there is no mistake – there are so many Saint Alberts that a distinction has had to be made for this 13^th century German theologian who is also known as Albert of Cologne.

He was born in 1206 (although this is disputed – an earlier date is possible) at Lauingen, a town in Bavaria. He studied at the University of Padua, where he joined the Dominican order of friars.

He then studied and taught at a number of Europe’s relatively new universities, including Paris and Cologne. It was while he was at Paris that he taught Thomas Aquinas, who would become one of Europe’s greatest theologians and philosophers.

Albert became Provincial of the Dominican Order in 1254 and Bishop of Regensburg in 1260, although he resigned this post after three years. He refused to ride a horse when undertaking his duties as a bishop, which earned him the nickname of “Boots”.

Albert’s main aim as a theologian was to make complex ideas intelligible to as many people as possible. He made a clear distinction between faith and reason, as he appreciated that the truths of Christianity were not attainable through reason alone. He also treated theology and philosophy as two very different entities.

Albert died at Cologne on 15^th November 1280, which is why 15^th November is his saint’s day. He was beatified in 1622 and declared a “Doctor of the Church” in 1931. He is recognised as the patron saint of natural scientists.

© John Welford