Margaret of Lorraine

Having become a widow, Marguerite of Lorraine demonstrated remarkable strength of character and a sharp political sense. She successfully defended the guardianship of her children against the claims of King Charles VIII and firmly took control of the administration of the Duchy of Alençon. Thanks to rigorous budgetary management and judicial reforms, she succeeded in restoring the finances of her lands. Parallel to her duties as a sovereign, she deployed intense charitable and religious activity, deeply marked by the Franciscan ideal: - In 1498, she founded the monastery of the Poor Clares of Alençon (which welcomed the nuns in 1501). - Between 1502 and 1505, she had the convent of Saint-François in Mortagne-au-Perche built for the Hospitaller Sisters of Saint Elizabeth. - In 1507, she introduced Franciscan nuns to the Hôtel-Dieu Saint-Julien in Château-Gontier to provide care for the sick. - She also worked for the spiritual reform of the Benedictine abbey of Almenêches. Once her children were established—notably her son Charles, married in 1509 to Marguerite of Angoulême (sister of the future King Francis I)—she distributed her personal assets into three parts: one for her children, another for the embellishment of churches, and the last for the relief of the poor. She retired first to her castle of Essay, then to the monastery of Mortagne, before entering the convent of the Poor Clares of Argentan permanently. She pronounced her solemn vows there on October 11, 1520, under the name of Sister Marguerite, refusing the office of abbess to devote herself to the humblest tasks, notably service in the infirmary.

Nicknamed during her lifetime "the holy duchess" because of her kindness and justice, Marguerite of Lorraine led a life of great austerity. She practiced fasting, wore a hair shirt, and spent long hours in prayer. Her bishop sometimes had to intervene to ask her to moderate her physical mortifications, directing her instead toward the direct care of the sick and lepers.

She passed away holily on November 2, 1521, at the convent of Argentan. Immediately after her death, her remains exhaled a sweet odor and her face appeared radiant. Her body, which remained perfectly intact, was the object of great popular devotion, and numerous miracles were reported at her tomb for more than two centuries.

In 1793, during the French Revolution, revolutionaries desecrated her tomb and threw her incorrupt body into a common grave. However, her heart, kept separately in a vermeil reliquary, escaped destruction. This precious reliquary is today displayed and venerated in the church of Saint-Germain in Argentan.

As early as the 17th century, King Louis XIII, one of her descendants, requested that Pope Urban VIII open a canonical inquiry with a view to her beatification, but the process did not immediately succeed. It was at the beginning of the 20th century that the cause was successfully relaunched. On March 20, 1921, Pope Benedict XV solemnly confirmed her historical cult (equivalent beatification). The pontifical decree highlighted her exceptional journey, presenting her as an accomplished model for Christian leaders, widows, and religious women.

The spirituality of Margaret of Lorraine is deeply rooted in the ideal of poverty and humility of Saint Francis and Saint Clare of Assisi. She was able to reconcile with rare harmony the demands of temporal government and total abandonment to the divine will.

She is invoked today as a protector of families and mothers. Furthermore, local tradition attributes to her the introduction and development of fine lace in the region, making her one of the patron saints of the lace-makers of the famous "point d'Alençon." Her spiritual and charitable legacy remains alive in the dioceses of Séez and Laval, where several care institutions still bear her name.