Born about the year 1140 in the foothills of the Alps near Grenoble, Hugh of Avalon became a Carthusian monk at La Grande Chartreuse, observing an ascetic discipline devoted to prayer and contemplation. In his mid-40s, he was summoned to England to help found the first Carthusian monastery in that country at Witham in Somersetshire. His success was such that in 1186 he was elected Bishop of Lincoln. As bishop, Hugh helped to make Lincoln a center of learning, rebuilding the cathedral in the new Gothic style and winning the respect of the leaders of his age, including Pope Innocent III and the...
Born about the year 1140 in the foothills of the Alps near Grenoble, Hugh of Avalon became a Carthusian monk at La Grande Chartreuse, observing an asc...