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| Saint Ivo portrayed by Rogier van der Weyden (15th century) |
Saint Ivo lived between 1253 and 1303 born to a noble family in Britanny, France. He studied civil and canon law, philosophy and theology. He practised law in both the civil and ecclesiastical courts. While he practised he made sure not to charge the poor while defending them and visited them in prison as they await trial. Among his good deeds, he would settle matters out of court to save litigants money as well as time. He was thus known as the "Advocate of the Poor." He was a Franciscan Tertiary and wore a hairshirt and fasted regularly. He defended the rights of the Church in court, and eventually became a diocesan judge and was unable to be bribed. He then quit law and joined the priesthood, using his funds that he acquired while working to help build a hospital for the poor and fed them from the harvests of his land. Among his miracles, he was attributed with feeding hundreds from a single loaf of bread.
