St. Louis King of France
St. Louis King of France
Patron of Tertiaries
Died: 1270
St. Louis, King of France, patron of Tertiaries, was the ninth of his name. He was 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. In 1270, he was stricken by the pestilence at the siege of Tunis, and after receiving the Last Sacraments, he died. His feast day is August 25th.
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"where they have burned books, they will end in burning human beings" The burning of the Talmud brought forth later on the infamous Auto-da-fé only a few hundred years later.
Below is just a small excerpt of Jewish history related to France and that period.
After the Second Crusade (1147-49), a long period of persecution began. French clergyman gave frequent anti-Semitic sermons. In some cities, such as Beziers, Jews were forced to pay a special tax every Palm Sunday. In Toulouse, Jewish representatives had to go to the cathedral on a weekly basis to have their ears boxed, as a reminder of their guilt. France’s first blood libel took place in Blois in 1171 and 31 Jews were burned on the stake.
The situation detiorated during the rule of King Philip Augustus. Philip was raised believing that Jews killed Christians and, therefore, held an ingrained hatred toward the Jews. After four months in power, Philip imprisoned all the Jews in his lands and demanded a ransom for their release. In 1181, he annulled all loans made by Jews to Christians and took a percentage for himself. A year later, he confiscated all Jewish property and expelled the Jews from Paris; he readmitted them in 1198, only after another ransom was paid and a taxation scheme was set up to procure funds for himself.
In 1215, the Fourth Lateran Council forced Jews to wear a badge in the provinces of Languedoc, Normandy and Provence.
More anti-Jewish persecutions took place in the western provinces during the rule of Louis IX (1226-70). In 1236, crusaders attacked the Jewish communities of Anjou and Poitou and tried to baptize all the Jews, those that resisted were killed. An estimated 3,000 Jews were murdered.
In 1240, Jews were expelled from Brittany and the famous disputation of the Talmud began in Paris. The Talmud was put on trial and was subsequently burned in 1242. Despite the persecution, Jews managed to remain active in money-lending and commerce. Jews expelled from England were also admitted into France. Again, in 1254, Jews were banished from France, their property and synagogues were confiscated, however, after a couple of years, they were readmitted.
Phillip IV the Fair ascended to power in 1285. In 1305, he imprisoned all the Jews and seized everything they owned except the clothing on their backs. He expelled 100,000 Jews from France and allowed them to travel with only ones day’s provisions. Phillip IV’s successor, Louis X, allowed the Jews to return in 1315.
St. Louis, please pray for me and my family.
I know that it was a different time. However, it's sad that St. Louis took money, properties from the Jews and kicked them out of France to finance the Crusades. Not very saintly or even Christian.
Dear Saint Louis, King of France, please pray for Jacob that he finds the right path, for his parents that they find the strenght and wisdom to guide him and for all cancer patients that the deal with their religion with dignity and grace. Thank you.
st louis of france i belive in you
i ask you 2 help me and my family
thank you AMEN
A useful and helpful message but with a serious spelling mistake, reign should be spelt rein, as in " the reins of the horse fell from his hands"
Many thanks!
St. Louis of France, a saint of heroic virtue who chose to strive and lead armies to defend Christ's kingdom, we ask you to pray for all Christians. The same assaults on our Christian faith exist today as did during your reign. Our battle continues unceasingly. Preserve and protect us always, through your intercession in Heaven. Amen.
I wish there was MORE info. I realize this is a very "old" saint. However, it's frsutrating for kids who are assigned work on their patron saint, and very little isout there. For instance, he is pictured holdin frogs. Why????? What is the signifcance? Why was he made a saint? What good works did he do?
I'm always so inspired by those who loved Our Lord and lived lives soley for Him.
Such a true blessing all this information has been preserved all these years for our benefit.
I would really appreciate some pictures on the saints for each day. thank you
i look forward to reading the saint-of-the-day every day. i wish there were a picture of saint louis in this bio. also, weren't there some other french kings named louis who were also saints?
I will study more about St. Louis of France but a bit more information would have been helpful.
1. Did he have a devotion to Mary?
2. Why is he a Saint?
3. Did he have an heir? etc.
St Louis, please help us sell our home, I have also asked st Joseph for his home selling prayers, stop the anxiety I have daily, stop the harassing.Grant me and my family Peace at last, help us find a peaceful affordable home,
I ask, you too abba father hollowed be they name, and in Jesus and Mary's precious names.
St. Louis, pray for our parish and our elementary school that we may finds the means to continue the work of the Gospel in our rural community. Pray for the souls of the faithly departed and that all my find peace in His presence.
David DiDonto -- such a "link" is called, "prayer," for which one need no computer, only some good intention and some verbiage, or wordless ecstasy and light of Lamb.
Saint Louis de la France, pray for us all; pray for my nephew and my niece to be -- that they may bliss eternally; pray for all of France and this whirled world that spins anon its sapphire crystalline path twixt errant Venus and mighty Mars round Christ's own Sun, in verdancy and space all one; pray Yahweh give us his Pleasant Gaze as we his sheep do safely graze; pray shepherds laugh and dogs be quiet, that wolves lope off and cause no riot; pray gentle rains make flowers bloom and Saints rest quiet in Heaven's Room; pray martyrs smile at their last fates, and Angels sing at Heaven's gates; pray Throne Stream flow us all its Plenty, while Jesus receive us tres and genty, Amen
St.Louis pray for us and the Lois's who don't have their own saint.
It would be nice if there were links for each saint which could take you to a prayer for that saint, or some other pertinent, relevant data.