Anselm of Lucca

Saint Anselm of Lucca was born in Mantua around 1036 and was educated there in grammar and dialectic, forming a mind that would later serve the Church in a time of fierce conflict. Nephew of the future Pope Alexander II, Anselm was chosen to succeed his uncle as Bishop of Lucca. Sent to Germany, he recoiled at the idea of receiving the signs of spiritual authority from a secular ruler, a hesitation that foreshadowed his lifelong stand in the Investiture Controversy. Though he briefly accepted investiture from Emperor Henry IV, his conscience drove him to resign and embrace the Benedictine life at a monastery near Mantua. Obedient to Pope Gregory VII, Anselm returned to Lucca, living as a monk-bishop and striving to renew the clergy with the Rule of Saint Augustine. Driven into exile amid imperial pressure, he became spiritual guide to Countess Matilda of Tuscany and later served as papal legate in Lombardy. A gifted scriptural scholar, he defended the freedom of the Church and compiled influential collections of canon law that strengthened Gregorian reform. He died in Mantua on March 18, 1086, and is honored as the patron saint of Mantua. His feast day is March 18.