Antoinette d'Orléans-Longueville (1572–24 April 1618) was a French noble lady, of Capetian ancestry, member of the house of Orléans-Longueville. She was Lady of Château-Gontier and, through her marriage, became the Marquise of Belle-Île. Widowed as a young woman, the wealthy lady became a nun and eventually founded the Benedictine order of Notre-Dame of Calvary in Paris.
Antoinette d'Orléans-Longueville | |
|---|---|
 Portrait in the Louvre Museum | |
| Born | 1572 Trie-Château (Oise), France |
| Died | 24 April 1618 Poitiers, France |
| Other names | Sister Antoinette of Saint Scholastica |
| Occupation(s) | Noble woman, nun |
| Spouse | Charles de Gondi |
| Children | Two |
| Parents |
|
Biography
editAntoinette d'Orléans-Longueville was born in 1572 in Trie-Château (Oise) in northern France. Her father was Léonor d'Orléans-Longueville (1540–1573), Duke of Longueville and Estouteville, Count of Neuchatel, de Tancarville and Montgomery, baron de Varenguebec, lord of Trie-Château, peer of France, Grand Chamberlain of France, governor of Picardy, constable and chamberlain of Normandy. Her mother was Marie de Bourbon (1539–1601), Duchess of Estouteville, Countess of Saint-Pol, Countess of Gacé, of Hambye and of Bricquebec. She was also first cousin of the father of King Henri IV. Antoinette's parents had eight other children.[1]
Marriage and children
editAt the court of Henry III and the Valois, the young Antoinette d'Orléans-Longueville stood out for her beauty, kindness and piety, which would become very important to her as she grew older. She was a maid of honor to Catherine de Medici, queen of France, who arranged her marriage at the age of 15 to a young marquis aged 18 of Italian origin, Charles de Gondi (son of Albert de Gondi). As the eldest child, Charles was the presumptive heir to the Duchy of Retz.[1]
On 6 September 1587, Antoinette d'Orléans-Longueville married Charles de Gondi (1569–1596) at Mont-Saint-Michel. He was Marquis of Belle-Île, gentleman of the Chamber, General of the galleys of France and governor of Fougères. The couple had two sons: Henri de Gondi (1590 in Machecoul – 08/12/1659 in Chéméré), and Léonor de Gondi (died in 1600).[1]
After the marriage, Antoinette left Paris to settle in Machecoul, a fief of the Duchy of Retz, an estate belonging at the time to the parents of Charles de Gondi, and where her two sons Henri and Léonor were born.[1]
The Young Widow
editIn 1595, Charles de Gondi was entrusted with the government of Fougères and was promised that he would take charge of Mont-Saint-Michel, which was then governed by the Marquis de Quéroland. On 22 May 1596, Charles de Gondi attempted to enter Mont-Saint-Michel by surprise to take it, but the 27-year-old officer was killed during an altercation, "the circumstances of which remain mysterious."[2]
Antoinette d'Orléans-Longueville, a grieving widow of 24, had her husband's body repatriated to Machecoul and organized a funeral worthy of his rank. While the ceremonies took place in Nantes, the young man's body was buried temporarily in Machecoul, in the Gondi family vault. Soon, Antoinette d'Orléans-Longueville decided to found a monastery in Machecoul where the body was buried again, so "prayers would be held more specifically for the repose of her husband's soul, which would be laid there."[2]
Sister Antoinette of Saint Scholastica
edit
Antoinette d'Orléans-Longueville spent another three years in Machecoul to defend the interests of her sons, Henri (now the direct heir to the Duchy of Retz ) and Léonor (who died soon thereafter in 1600), and left their education to governesses, tutors and their grandparents.[2] Then, in 1599, she decided to "rebuild her life" at age 27. She learned of the existence of a new monastery, "a refuge for noble widows and orphans of war, run by the reformed Cistercian monks" and joined the Feuillantines convent near Toulouse as Sister Antoinette of Saint Scholastica.[3][4][5]
Her noble birth suggested to authorities that she was a potential abbess, but instead, she wanted to "forget her birth and all greatness."[1] But soon she was ordered by Pope Clement VIII to move from the Feuillantines convent to the Abbey of Notre-Dame de Fontevraud, where she refused to be abbess despite pressure to do so. After difficult assignments in several convents, she founded a religious order in Poitiers in 1617[4] called the Congregation of the Benedictines of Notre-Dame of Calvary. There, she helped establish seven convents, including the Daughters of Calvary in Paris.[2][3]
Death
editAntoinette d'Orléans-Longueville died from a form of lead poisoning at age 46 on 24 April 1618 in Poitiers.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f Cuénin, Micheline (2024-02-25). "Antoinette d'Orléans-Longueville — SiefarWikiFr". Archived from the original on 2024-02-25. Retrieved 2024-07-01.
- ^ a b c d "Madame Antoinette d'Orléans". Moniales Bénédictines du Mont des Oliviers à Jérusalem (in French). Retrieved 2024-07-01.
- ^ a b "Orléans-Longueville, Antoinette d' | Encyclopedia.com". www.encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 2024-07-01.
- ^ a b Steele, Francesca M. "Congregation of Our Lady of Calvary". Catholic Answers. Retrieved 2024-07-01.
- ^ "Catholic Encyclopedia -Congregation of Our Lady of Calvary". www.ecatholic2000.com. Retrieved 2024-07-01.