William Repin and 98 companions

The group of the 99 martyrs of Angers (sometimes called the martyrs of Angers and Avrillé) includes 12 priests, 3 religious sisters, and 84 laypeople (including 4 men and 80 women) executed in hatred of the faith between October 30, 1793, and October 14, 1794.

The members of the clergy and the religious sisters: Among the twelve priests of the group, all condemned for having refused the revolutionary oaths and having continued their ministry clandestinely, are: - Guillaume Repin (the eldest). - Laurent Bâtard (guillotined on the same day as Guillaume Repin, January 2, 1794). - Jean-Michel Langevin (the first of the group to be executed, guillotined on October 30, 1793). - The brothers René Lego and Jean-Baptiste Lego (guillotined on January 1, 1794). - Jacques Ledoyen, François Peltier, and Pierre Tessier (guillotined on January 5, 1794). - François-Louis Chartier (guillotined on March 22, 1794). - Joseph Moreau (guillotined on Good Friday, April 18, 1794). - André Fardeau (guillotined on August 24, 1794). - Jacques Laigneau de Langellerie (the last of the group to be executed, guillotined on October 14, 1794).

The group also includes three religious sisters: - Marie-Anne Vaillot and Odile Baumgarten, both Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul at the Saint-Jean hospital in Angers, shot together on February 1, 1794, for having refused to take the oath. - Rosalie du Verdier de la Sorinière (in religion Sister Rosalie-Céleste), a Benedictine of Notre-Dame du Calvaire, guillotined on January 27, 1794.

The laypeople: The 84 laypeople of the group were for the most part humble artisans, peasants, or mothers, condemned for their fidelity to the non-juring priests, the recitation of the rosary, or the possession of objects of piety. Among them are: - The four laymen: Antoine Fournier (a weaver from Cholet, shot on January 12, 1794), Pierre Frémond (shot on February 10, 1794), Pierre Delépine, and Jean Ménard (both shot on April 16, 1794). - Eighty laywomen, including Renée-Marie Feillatreau (wife of Dumont, guillotined on March 28, 1794), Marie de la Dive (widow of du Verdier de la Sorinière, guillotined on January 26, 1794), as well as her two daughters Catherine and Marie-Louise du Verdier de la Sorinière (shot on February 10, 1794).

The cause for beatification of these victims of the Terror was introduced in 1905 by the Bishop of Angers, Mgr Joseph Rumeau. The diocesan inquiry sought to rigorously exclude all files presenting a political connotation (such as active participation in the armed Vendéen insurrection or purely royalist opinions) in order to retain only those persons whose death had been caused solely by hatred of the faith (in odium fidei).

The spiritual writings of Guillaume Repin were officially approved by the theologians of the Sacred Congregation of Rites on July 27, 1951. The decree formally recognizing the martyrdom of Guillaume Repin and his 98 companions was promulgated by the Holy See on June 9, 1983, under the pontificate of John Paul II.

Guillaume Repin and his 98 companions were solemnly proclaimed blessed by Pope John Paul II on February 19, 1984, during a Eucharistic celebration in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican.

As this was a cause of martyrdom, no miracle was required for their beatification, the gift of their lives for Christ serving as the supreme testimony of faith. To this day, the group has not been canonized and retains the canonical status of blessed.

The collective liturgical memory of the 99 martyrs of Angers is celebrated on February 1, the anniversary of the execution of forty-seven of them at Avrillé. Guillaume Repin is also celebrated individually on January 2, the day of his martyrdom.

The spiritual legacy of the martyrs of Angers rests on their unwavering fidelity to the Roman Catholic Church and their refusal of any doctrinal compromise in the face of state coercion. During their trial, these men and women manifested a remarkable peace and firmness, refusing to take an oath that they deemed contrary to their Christian conscience.

Their sacrifice is intimately linked to two major memorial sites in the Diocese of Angers: - The Place du Ralliement in Angers, where the guillotine scaffolds were erected. - The Champ des Martyrs in Avrillé (formerly the locality of La Haye-aux-Bonshommes), where mass shootings took place. This site now houses the Saint-Louis chapel, built in the 19th century to honor their memory and shelter the mass graves discovered at the time.