Jeanne Françoise Frémyot was the daughter of the President of the Parliament of Burgundy. He was an intransigent Catholic in this era of the Wars of Religion. At 20, she married Baron de Chantal, whom she loved with great love.
An accomplished wife, pious at times, she was a perfect mother, but suffered the pain of losing two of her six children at a young age. At 28, when the baron is killed in a hunting accident, she revolts, hates the unfortunate murderer in spite of himself and, on the verge of despair, she relies on a rigorous confessor. Four years later, she hearsSaint Francis de Sales preach a Lent and recognizes in him the spiritual master she needs.
The bishop of Geneva releases her from her scruples. From their mutual trust was born a great religious and spiritual adventure. Jeanne-Françoise took the time to establish her four children in life and founded the Ordre de la Visitation-Sainte-Marie, a congregation for women in fragile health. After the death of Saint Francis de Sales, it will keep this Salesian spirituality intact, especially the interior life abandoned to God.
Saint Chantal reliquary on Relics.es
For 40 years she will suffer temptations against the faith, but the love of God is enough for her, she wrote.
A tireless traveler, she traveled all the roads of France to see to the construction of the many monasteries of the Visitation. She will actively participate in the dissemination of the works of Saint Francis de Sales and, through her own writings, will make her contribution to Salesian thought.
relics
The relics of Saint Jeanne-Françoise de Chantal are kept in the Chapel of the Visitation in Annecy, France, where they are venerated by thousands of pilgrims each year.
The story of the relics
Jeanne-Françoise de Chantal died in 1641 and was buried in Annecy, France, where she had spent most of her life. In 1760 his body was exhumed and found in a remarkable state of preservation. The bones were cleaned and placed in a silver gilt shrine.
During the French Revolution, the reliquary was hidden to protect the relics from desecration. After the Revolution, the relics were recovered and placed in the Chapel of the Visitation in Annecy, where they are venerated by thousands of pilgrims every year.
The relics of Saint Jeanne-Françoise de Chantal
The relics of Saint Jeanne-Françoise de Chantal include her bones, which are kept in a gilt silver reliquary in the Chapel of the Visitation in Annecy. The relics also include personal items of Jeanne-Françoise, such as clothing, letters and books.
Pilgrims who visit the chapel can pray in front of the relics and ask for the intercession of Jeanne-Françoise. Believers believe that the saint's relics have special power due to her holiness and example of Christian living. Pilgrims can also buy souvenirs from the chapel, such as medals, icons and books, which are blessed by priests and believed to bring blessings and graces.
The importance of relics
The relics of Saint Jeanne-Françoise de Chantal hold special significance for members of the Order of the Visitation, as well as for believers around the world. They offer tangible testimony to the saint's story and her example of Christian life, as well as a place of pilgrimage and prayer for believers seeking to strengthen their faith and find inspiration in the example of Jeanne-Francoise.
"Sainte Jeanne-Françoise de Chantal: Fondatrice de l'Ordre de la Visitation" dans Les Saints de l'Église Catholique par Anne-Louise de Brécy. Éditions du Cerf, 1999.
"La Vie de Sainte Jeanne-Françoise de Chantal" par Marie-Rose de la Croix. Éditions Desclée de Brouwer, 2005.
"Les Reliques de Sainte Jeanne-Françoise de Chantal" dans La Visitation: Histoire et Spiritualité par Frédéric de La Croix. Éditions Albin Michel, 2010.
"Jeanne-Françoise de Chantal: Une Vie de Dévotion et d'Action" dans Les Grandes Figures de la Contre-Réforme par François-Xavier de Charlevoix. Éditions du Seuil, 2002.
"Les Relics and Cult of Sainte Jeanne-Françoise de Chantal" sur Relics.es (consulté le 24 août 2024).
"Sainte Jeanne-Françoise de Chantal et la Révolution Française" dans Les Révolutions et la Religion par Élisabeth de la Croix. Éditions CNRS, 2011.
"Les Monastères de la Visitation en France" dans L'Histoire des Ordres Religieux par Pierre-Marie Coudrin. Éditions de l'Imprimerie Nationale, 2006.
