St. Louis, King of France/San Luis Rey (1214-1270)
Patron of
the Secular Franciscans or the Third Order
August 25
Louis’s mother was “Blessed” Blanche
of Castile, who is honored on August 23rd. Blanche served as his
regent for several years after he was crowned king of France at the age of
twelve. He received instruction in the faith from both his saintly mother and
from Franciscan friars, eventually joining the Third Order. Blanche reportedly
told her son, “I would rather see you dead at my feet than stained with mortal
sin!”
As a monarch, Louis generously built
churches, the most famous being the Sainte-Chapelle, which was erected
as a shrine for the crown of thorns and a fragment of the True Cross, precious
relics of the Passion of Christ. He was also fond of the Trinitarian Order and chose
from among them to serve as his personal chaplains and spiritual directors. He
also founded hospitals, promoted education, and took care to feed the poor and
hungry.
In the 1250’s there was a dispute
within the University of Paris concerning the Dominicans and Franciscans.
Faculty resented the independent but very popular schools of the mendicants.
Louis openly supported the friars, led by the eminent Thomas Aquinas and
Bonaventure.
Louis headed a crusade to the Holy Land but was
taken prisoner in Egypt in 1250. He was pressured to deny his faith but did not
relent. This was part of the Seventh Crusade, formally inaugurated by Pope
Innocent IV. After his release, Louis spent almost four years in the Kingdom of
Jerusalem before returning to France in 1254.
The king’s greatest achievement was
to rule in the light of the Gospel of Jesus. He maintained that God’s law was
always superior to any of his own human laws. He placed a high value on
justice. Perhaps most emblematic of Louis's commitment to justice was his
personal involvement in judicial proceedings. According to many local legends
and contemporary accounts, the king frequently sat under a great oak tree in
the forest of Vincennes near Paris, where he would personally hear cases and
render judgments.
One Franciscan source notes that “we
rarely associate kings with the spirit of St. Francis of Assisi, but Louis IX
shows us that the Poverello’s ideals can work there also, [among royalty].” Louis was a good diplomat and maintained
excellent relations with other Christian monarchs of his day. Many times he was
called upon to mediate peace between opposing European rulers.
Louis
was also a father; he and Queen Margaret had eleven children. He was succeeded
by their son Philip. He died in North Africa while on his second crusade
(1267-70) and was canonized fairly quickly in 1297. Many now call upon his
patronage and intercession.
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