Saint Bernard of Clairvaux was the founder of the Clairvaux monastery as well as 160 other monasteries throughout Europe. Clairvaux, prior to its reform and cultivation by the monastic order of the Cistercians, was known as the "Valley of Bitterness." Under the discipline of this order, however, the valley became known as a cultural center. Bernard wished to restore purity to the monastic rule. He drew heavily from the New Testament book I John. The Johannine epistle gave Bernard his doctrine of love. His major work, The Steps of Humility is a detailed discussion of the seventh chapter of the Benedictine rule and motif of God's love.

Bernard focuses on the human image of the crucified Jesus which arouses the pious sentiments formed by attending to the passion and suffering of Jesus. Love, fervor, and active zeal in the name of Christ also played key roles. He was consistently admired as an example of positive moral force and steadfastness of character, which made him a leader in Western Christianity. In the shield, the three miters refer to his ecclesiastical appointments in Milan, Chartres, and Spires. In the circle are rays and six small emblems. The upper three emblems represent the fountain of salvation, the light of men, and Jesus. The lower three emblems are a white dog, representing the order of the White Monks, the inkhorn and pen symbolizing Bernard's vast writings, and a fettered demon symbolic of Bernard's defenses of the faith against heresy. The crusader's cross, and wheat and vines which symbolize fruitfulness, also appear in the window.