Delphine of Sabran
Encyclopedia
Blessed
Delphine of Glandèves, O.F.S.
, (or of Sabran) was born in Provence
, France, in 1284. She died on November 26, 1358, having lived as a Franciscan
tertiary
for most of her life.
Left an orphan in her infancy, she was placed under the guardianship of her uncles, and was brought up under the direction of her aunt, who was the Abbess
of the Monastery of St. Catherine in Sorbo
. As a young girl, she took a vow
of virginity
which she kept to the end of her life.
Despite her vow, at the age of twenty, she was married to Elzéar, Count of Sabran. Inspired by her example, her husband took a vow of celibacy
, which both honored throughout their married life. The couple, having both received the habit
of the Third Order of St. Francis
, lived together in the practice of prayer, penance
and charity
towards the poor until the death of Elzéar in 1323.
After the death of her husband, Delphine sold all her possessions for the benefit of the poor and retired first to Naples
and then to Cabrières
, which was the location of the castle where her husband had born. She finally returned to Apt
where her husband, had been buried. Upon her death, she was buried with him in the church of the Friars Minor there, wearing the habit of the Order.
The veneration that had begun to be given to Delphine was confirmed by Pope Urban V
, godson
of Elzéar, who also canonized her husband at that time. Her feast, which she shares with him, is kept in the Franciscan Third Order on September 26th.
Beatification
Beatification is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a dead person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in his or her name . Beatification is the third of the four steps in the canonization process...
Delphine of Glandèves, O.F.S.
Third Order of St. Francis
The Third Order of St. Francis is a third order within the Franciscan movement of the Roman Catholic Church. It includes both congregations of vowed men and women and fraternities of men and women living standard lives in the world, usually married...
, (or of Sabran) was born in Provence
Provence
Provence ; Provençal: Provença in classical norm or Prouvènço in Mistralian norm) is a region of south eastern France on the Mediterranean adjacent to Italy. It is part of the administrative région of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur...
, France, in 1284. She died on November 26, 1358, having lived as a Franciscan
Third Order of St. Francis
The Third Order of St. Francis is a third order within the Franciscan movement of the Roman Catholic Church. It includes both congregations of vowed men and women and fraternities of men and women living standard lives in the world, usually married...
tertiary
Tertiary
The Tertiary is a deprecated term for a geologic period 65 million to 2.6 million years ago. The Tertiary covered the time span between the superseded Secondary period and the Quaternary...
for most of her life.
Left an orphan in her infancy, she was placed under the guardianship of her uncles, and was brought up under the direction of her aunt, who was the Abbess
Abbess
An abbess is the female superior, or mother superior, of a community of nuns, often an abbey....
of the Monastery of St. Catherine in Sorbo
Sorbo
Sorbo may refer to:*Sorbo, a type of rubber used in various products, like the Mk 2 mine-People:*Gunnar Sørbø , current director of the Chr...
. As a young girl, she took a vow
Vow
A vow is a promise or oath.-Marriage vows:Marriage vows are binding promises each partner in a couple makes to the other during a wedding ceremony. Marriage customs have developed over history and keep changing as human society develops...
of virginity
Virginity
Virginity refers to the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. There are cultural and religious traditions which place special value and significance on this state, especially in the case of unmarried females, associated with notions of personal purity, honor and worth...
which she kept to the end of her life.
Despite her vow, at the age of twenty, she was married to Elzéar, Count of Sabran. Inspired by her example, her husband took a vow of celibacy
Celibacy
Celibacy is a personal commitment to avoiding sexual relations, in particular a vow from marriage. Typically celibacy involves avoiding all romantic relationships of any kind. An individual may choose celibacy for religious reasons, such as is the case for priests in some religions, for reasons of...
, which both honored throughout their married life. The couple, having both received the habit
Religious habit
A religious habit is a distinctive set of garments worn by members of a religious order. Traditionally some plain garb recognisable as a religious habit has also been worn by those leading the religious eremitic and anachoritic life, although in their case without conformity to a particular uniform...
of the Third Order of St. Francis
Third Order of St. Francis
The Third Order of St. Francis is a third order within the Franciscan movement of the Roman Catholic Church. It includes both congregations of vowed men and women and fraternities of men and women living standard lives in the world, usually married...
, lived together in the practice of prayer, penance
Penance
Penance is repentance of sins as well as the proper name of the Roman Catholic, Orthodox Christian, and Anglican Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation/Confession. It also plays a part in non-sacramental confession among Lutherans and other Protestants...
and charity
Charity (practice)
The practice of charity means the voluntary giving of help to those in need who are not related to the giver.- Etymology :The word "charity" entered the English language through the Old French word "charité" which was derived from the Latin "caritas".Originally in Latin the word caritas meant...
towards the poor until the death of Elzéar in 1323.
After the death of her husband, Delphine sold all her possessions for the benefit of the poor and retired first to Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
and then to Cabrières
Cabrières-d'Aigues
Cabrières-d'Aigues is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.-References:*...
, which was the location of the castle where her husband had born. She finally returned to Apt
Apt, Vaucluse
Apt is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.It lies on the left bank of the Calavon, east of Avignon...
where her husband, had been buried. Upon her death, she was buried with him in the church of the Friars Minor there, wearing the habit of the Order.
The veneration that had begun to be given to Delphine was confirmed by Pope Urban V
Pope Urban V
Pope Urban V , born Guillaume Grimoard, was Pope from 1362 to 1370.-Biography:Grimoard was a native of Grizac in Languedoc . He became a Benedictine and a doctor in Canon Law, teaching at Montpellier and Avignon...
, godson
Godson
Loongson is a family of general-purpose MIPS-compatible CPUs developed at the Institute of Computing Technology , Chinese Academy of Sciences in the People's Republic of China. The chief architect is Professor Hu Weiwu....
of Elzéar, who also canonized her husband at that time. Her feast, which she shares with him, is kept in the Franciscan Third Order on September 26th.