Every August 25, Saint Louis of France (1214-1270), King Louis IX, also known as Ludovico, is remembered, who was distinguished for his spirit of penitence and prayer, and for his generosity to the poor and the weak.
Saint Louis was a wise, just and prudent ruler. Among his successes is having eliminated ordeals – an institution that sought to administer justice, but on the basis of trickery – and promoting the principle of presumption of innocence in trials.
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The boy king
Louis was born at Poissy, near Paris, on April 25 in the year 1214; son of Louis VIII and Blanca de Castilla. He lived in times when France played a very important role for European Christianity, threatened by the expansionist desire of the Arab peoples and struggling to strengthen its identity and culture. His France was also one of those privileged moments in which the human spirit reaches the heights of greatness: Louis was a contemporary of Saint Thomas Aquinas and Saint Bonaventure, both destined to be professors in Paris, where the most famous university of that time.
Crowned in 1226 at just 12 years old, he did not effectively rule until he reached adulthood. Meanwhile, the kingdom remained under the regency of Luis’s mother, Doña Blanca of Castile. Years later, in 1235, Louis married Margaret of Provence, with whom he had eleven children. Luis was always an exemplary husband and father.
His heart burned with love for the Church and in his decisions there was always the desire to protect and extend it. Thus, during his reign he supported the construction of monasteries and the strengthening of religious orders.
The crown of thorns
Baldwin II (1060-1131), the last Latin emperor of Constantinople, had been forced to sell the “Crown of Thorns” – which according to tradition was placed on Jesus’ head by the Roman soldiery before his crucifixion -, considered one of the most famous possessions of a monarch of French origin.
The relic passed through different hands until it was recovered by Louis IX. The saint, then, as an expression of his love and devotion, ordered the demolition of the chapel of San Nicolás and built in its place the Sainte Chapelle (Holy Chapel) in Paris to preserve there this and other relics loaded with symbolism for Catholics, today the heritage of the entire Church.
The piety and nobility of Saint Louis of France led him to join the Franciscan Tertiary Order and the Trinitarian Order. Among the most famous monasteries that he ordered built in his attempt to strengthen the religious orders was that of Royaumont, as well as the convent of Maubuisson (with the help of his mother). For the service of his subjects he built the Quinze-Vingts (The Three Hundred) hospital for the blind.
The crusades
Saint Louis of France participated in two crusades, determined to recover the Holy Sepulcher and stop the Arab invasions in the Holy Land, but which ended in failure. However, due to his commitment and loyalty to the cause he was considered one of the bravest knights of the time.
In the first crusade he fell prisoner in Egypt, but was released. As the objective of recovering the holy places could not be achieved, the king collaborated in the organization of a second crusade, during which he fell ill with dysentery near Carthage (North Africa, today Tunisia) and died.
Saint Louis IX died on August 25, 1270, one day after receiving the last sacraments. He was 55 years old. His remains were taken to France and deposited in the church of Saint-Denis, where they remained safe until they were desecrated in the days of the French Revolution. Louis of France was canonized in 1297.
Saint Louis around the world
Saint Louis of France has lent his name to cities and geographical features like few other saints. The toponymy associated with it is striking.
In America: the city and province of San Luis, and San Luis del Palmar in the province of Corrientes, Argentina; San Luis del Marañón in Brazil; Lake Saint Louis in Canada; the two municipalities of San Luis in Cuba; San Luis Talpa, in the Department of La Paz, El Salvador; the city of St. Louis in the state of Missouri, United States; the city and state of San Luis Potosí in Mexico; the Mexican cities of San Luis de la Paz, San Luis Coyotzingo, San Luis Anáhuac and San Luis Acatlán.
Outside America: the island of Saint Louis, in Paris, France; the Saint Louis region of Senegal; and five provinces named after him in the Philippines.
In addition, there are many educational institutions, sports teams and churches or parishes that bear the name of the holy king.
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If you want to delve deeper into the figure of this great saint, we recommend that you read the following article from the Catholic Encyclopedia: https://ec.aciprensa.com/wiki/San_Luis_IX.
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Central Editorial
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