Anne de Xainctonge

Upon her arrival in Dole in 1596, Anne de Xainctonge learned that some women were praying at Notre-Dame de Mont-Roland to obtain help in founding a company dedicated to the Christian education of girls. After ten years of perseverance, she obtained the approval of the Archbishop of Besançon and the Parliament of Dole. On June 16, 1606, she settled with her first companions, including Claudine de Boisset, and opened a public and free school. This was the birth of the Company of Saint Ursula. Unlike other Ursulines, her sisters lived in community without enclosure and without solemn vows, drawing inspiration from the Constitutions of the Society of Jesus with the help of Father Étienne Guyon. Seven other houses were founded during her lifetime, notably in Vesoul, Arbois, Saint-Hippolyte, Besançon, and Porrentruy.

Anne de Xainctonge led a life of intense prayer, voluntary poverty, and total dedication to the instruction of girls, both rich and poor. She passed away in Dole on June 8, 1621, at the age of 53, surrounded by a great reputation for holiness. From the moment of her death, testimonies of devotion and accounts of graces obtained through her intercession multiplied. However, the successive wars in Franche-Comté during the 17th century (such as the Ten Years' War) and the French Revolution led to the dispersal of the communities and the destruction of many archival documents essential to the investigation of her cause.

The beatification process was relaunched at the end of the 19th century. On November 24, 1900, the cause for canonization was officially introduced in Rome, thereby conferring upon her the title of Venerable according to the old discipline. The modern process reached its conclusion under the pontificate of John Paul II: on May 14, 1991, the Pope promulgated the decree recognizing the heroic nature of her virtues, officially and definitively conferring upon her the status of Venerable.

The spirituality of Anne de Xainctonge is deeply Ignatian: to seek and find God in all things, to combine contemplation with apostolic action in the heart of the world. Today, her legacy is perpetuated through the Federation of the Sisters of Saint Ursula, which brings together five autonomous congregations (Dole, Fribourg, Brig, Tours, and Sion). The sisters work in education, spiritual accompaniment, and social service in Europe, Africa, India, and the United States.