Isabelle of France (saint)
The Holy Isabella of France, and Isabella of Longchamp, (. * 3 März/14 April 1224, † February 23, 1269 at Longchamp ) was the daughter of the French King Louis VIII and his wife Blanche of Castile, thus the sister of the ten years older of Saint Louis. She founded in 1255 the Klarissenabtei Longchamp humilité -Notre -Dame, in the resort west of Paris forest of Rouvray (now Bois de Boulogne ) and belongs together with Clare of Assisi among the first authors of a monastic rule.
Life
In order after the death of Louis VIII († November 1226 ) and the accession of twelve year old Louis IX. to secure the support of the vassals of the kingdom, the queen mother and regent Blanche of Castile promised in 1230 her five year old daughter Isabella the young Hugues or Hugh of Lusignan, son of Count Hugh of La Marche and Angoulême, who eventually Yolande, the daughter of the Duke married Peter I of Brittany.
Blanche of Castile Isabella had come a strict moral and religious education and so as a child she showed great piety. In 1243 she refused to marry Conrad of Hohenstaufen, son of Frederick II. After her mother's death, she put a by Pope Innocent IV on May 26, 1254 confirmed chastity vows and decided to use her dowry for the founding of a monastery. As a location for a site was chosen at the edge of the forest of Rouvray, the then royal hunting grounds. Saint Louis bought for his sister there a situated between the forest and the Seine elongated box (French longchamp ) and laid on June 10, 1256 the foundation stone of Klarissenabtei. The cost of the completed construction in 1259 totaled over some 30 000 livres.
The founder retired in 1260 in the monastery district back, lived there but a private house, neither made her profession, thus not entered the Order and was, therefore, contrary to popular opinion not abbess of the community. She was one of the outstanding personalities of their time and exercised in the circles of Saint Louis great influence, among other things, whose daughters, their nieces Isabella of France and Navarre and their younger sister Blanche of France. Both founded Klarissenklöster which followed the Rule of Longchamp.
Isabella of France died on February 23, 1270 shortly before reaching the age of 45 and was buried in the monastery church. In particular, the nuns of Longchamp venerated as a saint. Isabella was canonized by Pope Leo X in 1521 by the bull Piis omnium.
Work
Following the example of St. Clare of Assisi following, who had written the rule of their Order 1247-1252, Isabella wrote of France itself in 1255, the Rule for Longchamp down. They took advice to the most eminent scholars of their time. Bonaventure of Bagnoregio supported their projects. This held in Paris 1254-1257 the chair of theology of the Franciscans, before he was appointed as Minister General of his Order. Bonaventure took a moderate position with regard to the vow of poverty. Thus, the Poor Clares of Longchamp could compete inheritances and manage the acquis communautaire. In 1259 Pope Alexander IV confirmed the rule that was changed under Pope Urban IV in 1263.
Representations
- Philippe de Champaigne: Sainte Vierge à la Isabelle offrant le modèle de l' abbaye de Longchamps ( " The Holy Isabelle handed over to the Virgin Mary, the model of the Abbey of Longchamp ", 17th Century, Paris, Saint -Paul -Saint- Louis)