ABSTRACT
Odilo was the fifth abbot of the monastery of Cluny (994–1049). During his long rule Cluny became one of the most honoured and influential monasteries in the West. As well as continuing his predecessors’ practice of reforming other houses that lacked regularity, Odilo began to establish many of these as priories, permanently under Cluny’s direction. Gifts of land, churches, and other property to his house increased, and the most powerful members of society were remembered through special prayers and commemoration. Odilo felt it appropriate to counsel even kings, though criticised for doing so, and he played a role in the developing Peace of God movement. During his rule Cluny sought and received papal immunity, freeing the house from the oversight of its diocesan bishop, the bishop of Mâcon.
