Jeanne de Lestonnac
Encyclopedia
Saint Jeanne de Lestonnac (December 27, 1556 – February 2, 1640), alternately known as Joan of Lestonnac, was a Roman Catholic saint
and founderess of the order The Company of Mary Our Lady. Though she lived in the 17th century her body remains incorrupt.
. She grew up in a time where the conflict between the Protestant reformists and the defenders of the Catholic faith was at its height. This was evident in her family. While her mother was an enthuasiatic Calvinist, her father and her uncle Montaigne, adhered to the Catholic tradition.
At the age of 17 she married Baron de Montferrand-Landiras and had 3 children, but passed after they were born. Later on she had 5 more children, 2 boys, 3 girls. She was married for 24 years before her husband died. This marked a painful time in her life where not only her husband but her father, uncle and eldest son also died.
She didn't feel "complete" after 4 of the great men she loved, died, she felt God was calling her for a plan and needed "sacrifice" to make it complete.
at the age of 46 and took the name Jeanne of Saint Bernard, however, she became very ill and had to leave. After the leaving the monastery she lived in the La Mothe countryside and began a period of deep discernment. In 1607, at the age of 51, and with the approval of Pope Paul V
she established the religious order: The Company of Mary. She envisions the essential task of the order is to educate girls. Soon the order established its first school for girls in Bordeaux
. By the time she died in 1640 at the age of 84, 30 houses existed in France.
and was canonized on May 15, 1949 by Pope Pius XII
. Today her religious order has over 2,500 sisters and are found in 17 countries throughout Europe, Africa, North America and South America.
Saint
A saint is a holy person. In various religions, saints are people who are believed to have exceptional holiness.In Christian usage, "saint" refers to any believer who is "in Christ", and in whom Christ dwells, whether in heaven or in earth...
and founderess of the order The Company of Mary Our Lady. Though she lived in the 17th century her body remains incorrupt.
Early years
Sainte Jeanne de Lestonnac was born in Bordeaux, France in 1556 to a prominent family. Her father, Richard de Lestonnac, was a member of the French Parliament while her mother, Jeanne Eyquem, was the sister of the philosopher, Michel de MontaigneMichel de Montaigne
Lord Michel Eyquem de Montaigne , February 28, 1533 – September 13, 1592, was one of the most influential writers of the French Renaissance, known for popularising the essay as a literary genre and is popularly thought of as the father of Modern Skepticism...
. She grew up in a time where the conflict between the Protestant reformists and the defenders of the Catholic faith was at its height. This was evident in her family. While her mother was an enthuasiatic Calvinist, her father and her uncle Montaigne, adhered to the Catholic tradition.
At the age of 17 she married Baron de Montferrand-Landiras and had 3 children, but passed after they were born. Later on she had 5 more children, 2 boys, 3 girls. She was married for 24 years before her husband died. This marked a painful time in her life where not only her husband but her father, uncle and eldest son also died.
She didn't feel "complete" after 4 of the great men she loved, died, she felt God was calling her for a plan and needed "sacrifice" to make it complete.
Religious life
Following her husband's death, Jeanne de Lestonnac turned to a contemplative life and entered the Cistercian Monastery in ToulouseToulouse
Toulouse is a city in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern FranceIt lies on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea...
at the age of 46 and took the name Jeanne of Saint Bernard, however, she became very ill and had to leave. After the leaving the monastery she lived in the La Mothe countryside and began a period of deep discernment. In 1607, at the age of 51, and with the approval of Pope Paul V
Pope Paul V
-Theology:Paul met with Galileo Galilei in 1616 after Cardinal Bellarmine had, on his orders, warned Galileo not to hold or defend the heliocentric ideas of Copernicus. Whether there was also an order not to teach those ideas in any way has been a matter for controversy...
she established the religious order: The Company of Mary. She envisions the essential task of the order is to educate girls. Soon the order established its first school for girls in Bordeaux
Bordeaux
Bordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France.The Bordeaux-Arcachon-Libourne metropolitan area, has a population of 1,010,000 and constitutes the sixth-largest urban area in France. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture...
. By the time she died in 1640 at the age of 84, 30 houses existed in France.
Legacy
Jeanne de Lestonnac was beatified in 1900 by Pope Leo XIIIPope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII , born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci to an Italian comital family, was the 256th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, reigning from 1878 to 1903...
and was canonized on May 15, 1949 by Pope Pius XII
Pope Pius XII
The Venerable Pope Pius XII , born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli , reigned as Pope, head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City State, from 2 March 1939 until his death in 1958....
. Today her religious order has over 2,500 sisters and are found in 17 countries throughout Europe, Africa, North America and South America.