St. Mary's Fraternity O.F.S

Other Biographies

St. Louis, King of France, patron of Tertiaries, was the ninth of his name. Born at Poissy, France, in 1214. His father was Louis VIII, and his mother was Blanche, daughter of Alfonso VIII of Castille, surnamed the Conqueror. At the age of twelve he lost his father, and his mother became regent of the kingdom. From his tenderest infancy she had inspired him with a love for holy things.

In 1234, he married Margaret, the virtuous daughter of Raymond Berenger, Count of Provence, and two years later he took the reigns of government into his own hands. In 1238, he headed a crusade, in which he fell a prisoner among the Mohammedans, but a truce was concluded and he was set free and he returned to France. In 1267, he again set out for the East at the head of a crusade but he never again beheld his native land. Louis’ patronage of the arts drove much innovation in Gothic art and architecture.  The perception of Louis IX as the exemplary Christian prince was reinforced by his religious zeal. Louis was a devout Catholic, and he built the Sainte-Chapelle (“Holy Chapel”), located within the royal palace complex (now the Paris Hall of Justice), on the Île de la Cité in the centre of Paris. The Sainte Chapelle is a perfect example of the Rayonnant style of Gothic architecture. Louis IX is often considered the model of the ideal Christian monarch. In 1270, he was stricken by the pestilence at the siege of Tunis, and after receiving the Last Sacraments, he died. Pope Boniface VIII proclaimed the canonization of Louis in 1297; he is the only French monarch to be declared a saint.  His feast day is August 25th. He is also honored as co-patron of the Third Order of St. Francis, of which he was a member.