September Martyrs

Although they are honored collectively, this group brings together ecclesiastical and lay figures of very diverse origins and functions, united by the same ultimate testimony. Among the major figures of this group, we distinguish: The three bishops: Mgr Jean-Marie du Lau d'Allemans, the last archbishop of Arles, a learned prelate and rigorous defender of the rights of the Church against the reforms of the Constituent Assembly; Mgr François-Joseph de La Rochefoucauld-Bayers, bishop of Beauvais; Mgr Pierre-Louis de La Rochefoucauld-Bayers, bishop of Saintes (brother of the former). The priests and religious: The group includes diocesan priests (86 of whom belonged to the Parisian clergy), Jesuits (such as Father Jacques-Jules Bonnaud), Eudists (including Blessed François-Louis Hébert, confessor to King Louis XVI), Benedictines, Cordeliers, and Sulpicians. Brother Salomon Leclercq (Guillaume-Nicolas-Louis Leclercq): A member of the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, he served as secretary general to his superior. Arrested on August 15, 1792, he was massacred in the garden of the Carmes convent on September 2. He is the first martyr of his congregation and the first member of the group to have been canonized individually (in 2016). The laypeople: Five in number, these men (including officers or collaborators of religious institutions) deliberately chose to share the fate of the priests with whom they were detained, refusing to deny their faith or betray their convictions. Their common work lies in their peaceful resistance and their refusal to compromise their conscience. By refusing an oath that created a schism with Rome, they reaffirmed the spiritual independence of the Church against the interference of the revolutionary State.

From the day after the massacres, the Parisian faithful considered the victims as true martyrs of the faith. Despite the risks incurred during the Terror, relics (bloodstained clothing, personal items) were piously collected and hidden. During the 19th century, popular devotion became structured. Under the impetus of Mother de Soyecourt, the buildings of the Carmes convent were repurchased; excavations were undertaken to recover the bones of the victims, which had been thrown at the time into the garden well or buried in haste. An ossuary crypt was arranged under the church of Saint-Joseph-des-Carmes to house these sacred remains. The information process for their beatification was officially opened in Paris in 1901 by Cardinal François-Marie-Benjamin Richard, Archbishop of Paris. This process required extremely rigorous historical research in order to rule out any political ambiguity and to prove that each victim included had died solely for religious motives (refusal of the schismatic oath and fidelity to the Apostolic See). On January 16, 1916, Pope Benedict XV signed the decree introducing the cause.

Beatification: The 191 September martyrs were solemnly beatified on October 17, 1926, by Pope Pius XI in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. The Sovereign Pontiff recognized the heroism of their death under the title of "fidelity to the Apostolic See." Individual canonization: Although the group is collectively recognized as "blessed," one of its members, Brother Salomon Leclercq, was canonized on October 16, 2016, by Pope Francis. This canonization was made possible after the official recognition, by decree on May 10, 2016, of a miracle obtained through his intercession (the unexplained healing of a young Venezuelan girl bitten by a venomous snake in 2007).

The spirituality of the September Martyrs is deeply Eucharistic and centered on the offering of self in the image of Christ's sacrifice. The testimonies of the few survivors (such as Abbé Saurin or Abbé de la Pannonie) emphasize the inner peace, serenity, and absence of hatred that reigned among the prisoners as they approached death. Gathered in the Carmelite chapel before being led to the steps to be executed, they confessed to one another and gave each other absolution. Their legacy remains alive in Paris and throughout France. The church of Saint-Joseph-des-Carmes (located at 74, rue de Vaugirard) remains the principal place of memory and pilgrimage. The faithful can visit the martyrs' crypt there as well as the seminary garden where the staircase of martyrdom still stands, marked with the inscription Hic ceciderunt ("Here they fell"). The Association for the Remembrance of the September Martyrs, founded in 1989, ensures the maintenance of their memory and organizes commemorative celebrations each year around their liturgical feast.