Anne de Xainctonge
Encyclopedia
Anne de Xainctonge was the founder of the Society of the Sisters of Saint Ursula of the Blessed Virgin
and has been declared a Venerable
by the Roman Catholic Church
.
She was born in Dijon
, the daughter of Jean de Xainctonge, who was a councilor in the local parliament, and his wife Lady Marguerite Collard, both of whom were members of the nobility. She grew up near a Jesuit
college and was thus inspired at an early age with the idea of forming an uncloistered school for women, working within a Jesuit framework.
She began trying to found this school around 1590 but met with a great deal of resistance from the Jesuits and others. In 1596 she left Dijon for Dole
, which was at that time a Spanish
city. Here, on June 16, 1606, she created the first school in what would later become the Society of the Sisters of Saint Ursula
of the Blessed Virgin. In addition to the original school, seven more were established by de Xainctonge during her lifetime. She died in Dôle at the age of 53.
Due to her work she was considered a candidate for beatification soon after her death, but the French Revolution
and other wars of the period led to the destruction of many documents necessary for this (other sources add that de Xainctonge herself asked that her personal writings be burned after her death). She was declared Venerable on November 24, 1900.
Society of the Sisters of Saint Ursula of the Blessed Virgin
The Society of the Sisters of Saint Ursula of the Blessed Virgin is a Roman Catholic religious congregation of women founded in 1606 at Döle , France, by the Venerable Anne de Xainctonge...
and has been declared a Venerable
Venerable
The Venerable is used as a style or epithet in several Christian churches. It is also the common English-language translation of a number of Buddhist titles.-Roman Catholic:...
by the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
.
She was born in Dijon
Dijon
Dijon is a city in eastern France, the capital of the Côte-d'Or département and of the Burgundy region.Dijon is the historical capital of the region of Burgundy. Population : 151,576 within the city limits; 250,516 for the greater Dijon area....
, the daughter of Jean de Xainctonge, who was a councilor in the local parliament, and his wife Lady Marguerite Collard, both of whom were members of the nobility. She grew up near a Jesuit
Society of Jesus
The Society of Jesus is a Catholic male religious order that follows the teachings of the Catholic Church. The members are called Jesuits, and are also known colloquially as "God's Army" and as "The Company," these being references to founder Ignatius of Loyola's military background and a...
college and was thus inspired at an early age with the idea of forming an uncloistered school for women, working within a Jesuit framework.
She began trying to found this school around 1590 but met with a great deal of resistance from the Jesuits and others. In 1596 she left Dijon for Dole
Dole, Jura
Dole is a commune in the Jura department in the Franche-Comté region in eastern France, of which it is a subprefecture ....
, which was at that time a Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
city. Here, on June 16, 1606, she created the first school in what would later become the Society of the Sisters of Saint Ursula
Ursula
Ursula is a female given name of Latin origin, meaning "little female bear". Ursula may refer to:-People:*Saint Ursula, Christian saint*Ursula , feminine given name derived from the Latin language-Fiction characters:...
of the Blessed Virgin. In addition to the original school, seven more were established by de Xainctonge during her lifetime. She died in Dôle at the age of 53.
Due to her work she was considered a candidate for beatification soon after her death, but the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
and other wars of the period led to the destruction of many documents necessary for this (other sources add that de Xainctonge herself asked that her personal writings be burned after her death). She was declared Venerable on November 24, 1900.