Peter of Tarantaise
d.1175. Archbishop of Tarantaise. Exceptional devotion as a Cistercian monk led to his being made superior of a new house at Taimé before he was thirty. In 1142 he unwillingly became archbishop and immediately began to reform his lax diocese. Unwelcome fame as a reformer and miracle- worker caused him in 1155 to try to return to monastic life disguised as a lay brother. After a year he was discovered and brought back to his see, where he continued to establish hospices for the poor, the sick, and for travelers. He also inaugurated the custom of distributing free bread and soup in the lean months before the harvest (May Bread). He strongly supported Alexander III,* who sent him on a mission to reconcile Louis VII of France and Henry II of England. He died on the return journey to France.