Carlo Tancredi Falletti di Barolo

Unable to have children, Carlo Tancredi and Juliette discerned in this trial a call from Providence to dedicate their lives and their immense fortune to the most destitute, spiritually "adopting" the poor of Turin. Carlo Tancredi became actively involved in the public life of his city. In 1816, he joined the decurional body of Turin. He served as mayor (sindaco) of Turin from 1826 to 1827. During his mandate, he distinguished himself through major social reforms: he distributed thousands of wood rations to poor families during the winter, improved public lighting, and created green spaces. In 1827, he was one of the main promoters and founders of the first Savings Bank of Piedmont (Cassa di Risparmio di Torino) to help small savers. He also donated 300,000 lire for the construction of the new General Cemetery (Cimitero Monumentale) of Turin. His major work, however, remains the education of poor children. In 1830, in their own palace, the couple opened the first "asylum room" (nursery school) in the Kingdom of Sardinia to welcome and educate the children of workers who wandered the streets. To perpetuate this educational mission, Carlo Tancredi founded the Congregation of the Sisters of Saint Anne (Suore di Sant'Anna) in 1834.

The life of Carlo Tancredi was marked by heroic charity and total abandonment to Divine Providence. In 1835, when a terrible cholera epidemic struck the city of Turin, the Marquis and his wife refused to flee. They spent themselves without counting the cost to organize relief, visit the sick, and support the hospitals. This extreme commitment severely impaired Carlo Tancredi's health. In 1838, on the advice of doctors, the couple undertook a journey to the Tyrol to try to restore his health. However, struck down by a violent fever, Carlo Tancredi had to stop along the way. He passed away on September 4, 1838, in Chiari, in the province of Brescia, in the arms of his wife. By his will, he bequeathed his entire fortune to his wife so that she could continue their charitable works.

The cause for the beatification of Carlo Tancredi Falletti di Barolo was opened in the Archdiocese of Turin in 1995. His cause is being conducted in parallel with that of his wife, Juliette Colbert (whose process began in 1991). On December 21, 2018, Pope Francis authorized the Congregation for the Causes of Saints to promulgate the decree recognizing the heroic nature of his virtues, thus conferring upon him the title of Venerable. His wife had been declared Venerable a few years earlier, on May 5, 2015. Their mortal remains, initially interred at the Monumental Cemetery of Turin, were transferred in 2013 to the Church of Santa Giulia in Turin, a building whose construction had been financed by the Marchioness.

The spirituality of Carlo Tancredi rests on an absolute trust in Divine Providence and on the deep conviction that "God created man to be happy." For him, wealth and social status were not personal privileges, but tools entrusted by God to alleviate misery and restore human dignity. His preventive educational action greatly inspired other figures of 19th-century Turinese holiness, notably Saint John Bosco.

Today, the legacy of the venerable couple continues through the Congregation of the Sisters of Saint Anne, active throughout the world (Europe, Asia, America, Africa) for the education and advancement of the poorest, as well as through the Opera Pia Barolo, which manages the Palazzo Barolo and continues its charitable and cultural activities in Turin.