St Peter of Tarentaise was born in France in 1102. He was a Cistercian monk and eventually served as abbot. Peter was named archbishop of Tarentaise and tackled his new assignment with vigor. He brought reform into his diocese, replaced lax clergy and reached out to the poor. He visited all parts of his mountainous diocese on a regular basis. He disappeared for a while and lived as a lay brother at an abbey in Switzerland. He was eventually discovered and was persuaded to return as bishop where he focused many of his energies on the poor. St Peter of Tarentaise died in 1174 and was canonised by Pope Celestine III in 1191.