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The Apostle of Women in Seventeenth Century France: Saint Vincent de Paul, Servant and Advocate of Their Dignity
Abstract
While XVII$\sp{\rm th}$ century France was fraught with wars, epidemics, never-ending riots, and famine, the name of Saint Vincent de Paul came to be associated with the notion of Charity. When Vincent became a priest at the age of 20, little did he realize the extraordinary role he would play in the history of the Counter-Reformation, with women as his principal allies. As a child, Vincent experienced the unique nurturing of his mother's love, and his devotion to the Virgin Mary would play a major part in his spiritual life. At 26, he established his first society of women to help the poor, known as Charite. Later on, he became the spiritual director of a young widow, Louise de Marillac. Their common love for the poor eventually led to the creation of the community of the Daughters of Charity. Unlike cloistered nuns, the members of this new secular community were for the most part peasant girls who were able to perform works of charity throughout France and abroad. A year after establishing the Daughters of Charity, Vincent was asked to form an assembly of aristocratic and bourgeois women in Paris to be given the name Ladies of Charity. These women helped finance most of his projects, and were the decision-makers in an effort to provide one of the first forms of social assistance to the entire country. As Vincent's notoriety spread far and wide, Anne d'Autriche and Louise-Marie de Gonzague, Queen of Poland, came to rely on his guidance for spiritual matters regarding their respective countries. Unlike many of his contemporaries, known for their anti-feminism, Saint Vincent de Paul had understood that women have an undeniable role to play as mediators in God's plan of love. The remarkable results of his collaboration with them mark an unprecedented phenomenon in the history of Catholicism and the promotion of women. This partnership is examined closely, along with its impact on the XX$\sp{\rm th}$ century.
Subject Area
Religious history|Social work|Womens studies|European history|Biographies
Recommended Citation
Delagrange, Agnes Marie, "The Apostle of Women in Seventeenth Century France: Saint Vincent de Paul, Servant and Advocate of Their Dignity" (1995). Doctoral Dissertations Available from Proquest. AAI9606502.
https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations/AAI9606502