Abélard

Definition

Pierre Abélard (1079-1142) French scholastic philosopher and theologian remembered for his ill-fated romantic involvement with his 17-year-old pupil Héloise. They eloped, were secretly married, and had a son (Astrolabe). Pursued and caught by hirelings in the pay of Héloise's uncle, Canon Fulbert of Notre Dame Cathedral, Héloise was sent to a nunnery and Abélard was castrated; he later retired to the Monastery of St. Denis. Later, as abbot of St. Gildas-en-Rhuys, Abélard helped Héloise establish a nunnery at Paraclete. Héloise died in 1164 and was buried beside him in Paraclete. They were entombed in the Pere Lachaise cemetery in Paris in 1817. Abélard and Héloise are famous for their love letters, a correspondence that lasted for decades.