Cluny Abbey was founded in 910 by William the Pious, Duke of Aquitaine, who placed his Cluny lands under the patronage of the apostles Peter and Paul. His decision hence removed the abbey from the power of the bishop and the lay lords to place it directly under the protection of Rome. William the Pious chose Bernon as the first abbot charged with the role of mediator between the political powers and the pope. Over the centuries, illustrious abbots such as Richelieu or Mazarin have succeeded one another at the head of the abbey now located in the Saône-et-Loire department.