Stephen of Obazine

[3] He began his religious life in a community of clerics at Pleaux, where he became a priest and gained the reputation of holiness, especially when it came to the recitation of the divine office, only interrupting these if something of grave necessity arose.

He was also known for his love for all things to do with the Mass, ensuring the provision of sacred vessels, furnishings and vestments that were perfect for God.

Wanting a more austere life, Stephen and a like-minded priest, by the name of Peter, set out at the beginning of Lent one year to locate a place where they could live as hermits.

There is a well-known story of this time: heading back to their hermitage, the two friends paused to rest on the mountain, exhausted and weak from hunger.

[5] In 1134, Eustorge de Scorailles, the Bishop of Limoges, approved the establishment of the hermitage as a monastery on a site granted them by the Viscount Archambault.