Martyrs of Laval

The lives of these nineteen martyrs bear witness to a deep pastoral, educational, and charitable commitment in the service of the populations of Mayenne.

The fourteen priests guillotined on January 21, 1794, were parish priests, hospital or monastery chaplains, and religious. Among them was Father Jean-Baptiste Triquerie, a Conventual Franciscan. Under the spiritual guidance of Abbé Jean-Baptiste Turpin du Cormier, pastor of La Trinité in Laval, they continued to guide their faithful despite the persecutions.

The religious sisters and the laywoman Françoise Mézière were primarily dedicated to the instruction of poor children and the care of the sick. Sister Françoise Tréhet and Sister Jeanne Véron directed the parish school of Saint-Pierre-des-Landes. Sister Sainte Monique (Marie Lhuillier) was entirely devoted to the sick at the hospital of Château-Gontier. Françoise Mézière, for her part, worked as a schoolmistress in Saint-Léger.

Abbé Jacques Burin, pastor of Saint-Martin-de-Connée, distinguished himself by his charity toward the poor, distributing his own resources to feed them. After escaping from prison, he refused to go into exile and chose to remain with his parishioners, traveling clandestinely through the countryside disguised as a thread merchant under the name of "Sébastien" in order to continue administering the sacraments to them.

Their journey toward martyrdom was marked by a serene and courageous acceptance of the supreme sacrifice to preserve the unity of the Church and communion with the Pope.

During their summary trial before the Revolutionary Military Commission, led by public prosecutor Jean-Baptiste Volcler (a former apostate priest), the fourteen priests categorically refused to take the schismatic oath. René Ambroise declared: "I am willing to obey the government, but I do not wish to renounce my religion." Father Jean-Baptiste Triquerie affirmed: "Ah! truly no, citizen; I shall be faithful to Jesus Christ until my last breath." As they walked toward the scaffold, they sang the Salve Regina together.

The women of the group showed identical strength of soul. Françoise Mézière welcomed her death sentence with joy, bowing to her judges. Sister Françoise Tréhet, accused of having cared for the wounded from both sides, proclaimed before the tribunal: "Blues or Chouans, all are my brothers in Jesus Christ." Sister Sainte Monique (Marie Lhuillier) refused the oath that would have saved her life, preferring to die faithful to her vows.

Abbé Jacques Burin was betrayed and lured into a trap by two women pretending to want to confess. Despite warnings, he replied: "I have given my word, I will keep it." He was shot by national guards at the Petit Coudray farm in Champgenêteux, holding his chalice in his hand.

From the moment of their death, popular devotion manifested itself. The faithful collected their blood. Despite surveillance, clandestine pilgrimages were organized as early as 1803 to the mass grave of "La Croix Bataille" in Avesnières. In 1816, their bodies were exhumed and solemnly transferred to the church of Avesnières (today the Basilica of Notre-Dame d'Avesnières), which became the center of their cult.

The diocesan process for their beatification opened in 1917. The decree officially recognizing their martyrdom was approved by the Holy See on May 3, 1955.

On Sunday, June 19, 1955, in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, Pope Pius XII solemnly proclaimed the nineteen martyrs of Laval blessed. Their relics rest today in the choir of the Basilica of Notre-Dame d'Avesnières in Laval.

Their main liturgical feast is set for January 21 (the anniversary of the martyrdom of the fourteen priests) or June 19 (the anniversary of their beatification).

The spirituality of the martyrs of Laval rests upon an absolute fidelity to ecclesial communion and upon a universal charity that transcends political divisions. For these men and women, the refusal of the constitutional oath was not a political stance, but an act of theological fidelity aimed at preserving the unity of the Church under the authority of the successor of Peter.

Their heritage remains extremely alive in the diocese of Laval. They are venerated as the "Martyrs of the Faith in Mayenne." In the Basilica of Notre-Dame d'Avesnières, a stained-glass window designed by Max Ingrand in 1945 commemorates them in the form of fourteen palms. In 2009, a new stained-glass window illustrating their martyrdom was blessed in the cathedral of Laval.

Their example continues to inspire the faithful regarding the strength of daily witness, freedom of conscience, and the unconditional service of the poor and the sick.