particularly keen on educating the clergy better and leading them to deeper religious observance. He was often in contact with the ecclesiastical and secular authorities of his day. Letters and charters attest to his contacts with King Conrad III, with Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa and the Cistercian Pope Eugene III, whom Amadeus knew from his days in Clairvaux. For a time, he served as the legal guardian for Blessed Humbert III, Count of Savoy, when Humbert's father Amadeus III, Count of Savoy died in the Second Crusade. Around 1155, Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa appointed Bishop Amadeus chancellor of the Kingdom of Burgundy. Amadeus of Lausanne died in Lausanne in 1159, aged 49. He was interred in the cathedral before the Altar of the Holy Cross. In 1911, his tomb was rediscovered in the cathedral of Lausanne, and it still contained some relics. Spirituality As bishop, Amadeus often went on retreat at Haut-Crêt Abbey, located 15 km east of Lausanne. His Marian devotions are famous, but he also venerated St. Agnes a great deal because her memorial day (January 21) was the day Amadeus was born, began school, entered the novitiate, took his monastic vows, was made abbot, and consecrated a bishop. Marian Homilies The eight Marian sermons are his most famous writings. As a result, he is often quoted as a classic proponent of Marian piety in the 12th century. The seventh homily is particularly relevant, since Pope Pius XII quoted from it in his Apostolic Constitution Munificentissimus Deus (1950) regarding the Assumption of Mary. Veneration Veneration was reportedly approved in 1710 by Pope Clement XI. His cult was confirmed on December 9, 1903 (the group "Theobald of Vienna and his 16 companions") by Pope Pius X. Feast day His memorial day is January 28, but the day of his death on August 27 is also mentioned. In the diocese of Lausanne-Geneva-Friborg, he is commemorated on August 30. Iconography Amadeus of Lausanne is depicted as a Cistercian bishop with princely insignia who receives a pair of gloves from the Mother of God. References Bibliography Magnificat. Homilies in praise of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Cistercian Fathers Series, no. 18 (Kalamazoo, Mich.: Cistercian Publications, 1979) Andre Fracheboud: Cistercian Antecedents of the Rosary. In: Cistercian Studies Quarterly 33.2 (1998) Hilda C. Graef: Mary: a History of Doctrine and Devotion. (London: Sheed and Ward 1964) External links Entry on Website "Catholic Saints" Amadeus' eight