De sancto Ludovico rege Francorum
The Formation of a Holy King
Louis is introduced as a divinely appointed guardian of the faith, shaped by his mother's piety and a rigorous moral education.
The name Louis is said to mean something like 'giver of light' or 'bestower of brightness.' If you look at the final part of the name, it also means 'guardian,' since 'icos' is Greek for 'guardian' in Latin. He was indeed a strict guardian of the Word of God, as his actions demonstrate. He was also a vigilant guardian of his army on land and sea, and even in the heat of battle. Hence, the church sings of him: 'Louis is expressed by name as a giver of light, and is placed as a guardian in the struggle of this present life.' Blessed Louis, the illustrious former King of the Franks, had a most Christian king named Louis for a father. He defeated the heretics of the Albigensian region and the County of Toulouse and rooted out their heresies, and while he was returning... He moved to France and passed on to Christ; the boy, therefore, of holy character, having been orphaned of his most vigorous father, remained under the care of his mother, Blanche, the queen and daughter of the former King of Castile. She loved him very tenderly and entrusted him to be formed in character and in the knowledge of letters under the spiritual guardianship of a master and the counsel of religious men, especially those of the Order of Preachers and the Friars Minor. But he, like another... Solomon, a clever boy who had received a good soul, progressed most laudably beyond his peers in both areas. Rejoicing in his holiness, his pious mother would often say to him, 'My dearest son, I would rather you suffer a temporal death than that you offend your Creator through any mortal sin.' The devout son took this word to heart and so firmly resolved it that, with divine grace accompanying him, he abstained from vices and was considered by all to have reached the summit of virtues. Thereafter, by divine providence, so that such a noble kingdom would not lack royal succession, he took a wife. He strove with the greatest effort to educate the offspring he had with her, teaching them above all to fear God and to abstain constantly from every sin. He also forbade them from wearing wreaths of roses or other garlands on Fridays, because of the Crown of Thorns placed on the Savior's head on that day.
Asceticism and Zeal for the Faith
Louis practices severe self-mortification, humble service to the poor, and demonstrates unwavering commitment to the Crusades.
Following the Apostle's example, he disciplined his body and brought it into subjection, forcing it to serve his spirit through many mortifications; for a long time, he wore a hair shirt against his skin. He also fasted every Friday, and especially during Advent and Lent, times when he abstained from fish and fruit, constantly afflicting himself with labors, vigils, prayers, and other secret abstinences and disciplines. Every Saturday, he was accustomed to go to a very private place to wash the feet of certain poor people with his own hands, then dry them and humbly kiss them; he did the same for their hands, giving a set sum of money to each. Many times, he also served meals with his own hands to 120 poor people who were fed abundantly in his court every day, and to 200 poor people on solemn vigils and certain other days throughout the year, before he himself would eat. He always had three old, poor men reclining near him at lunch and dinner, to whom he served food from his own plate with charity, venerating Christ the poor in his own poor, and he did not shrink from eating their leftovers. He refused to wear scarlet, brown, or green, or any other ostentatious clothing, nor would he wear furs that were varied or overly expensive, especially after he returned from overseas for the first time. He desired with an ardent longing the spread of the faith; therefore, as a true lover and defender of the faith, he took his three brothers, his fellow soldiers, and the great barons and knights of the kingdom with him, and with a great army he landed in Egypt, where he suffered many evils in himself and his own, and was subsequently captured by the enemy and thrown into prison, from which he was finally ransomed and freed for a small price—a truly miraculous thing. Once released from prison, he remained in Syria for five years, converting many Saracens to the faith and ransoming Christian captives, whose bodies he often buried with his own hands. No one who wasn't present or who hasn't read the larger volumes can fully grasp how much he endured for the faith of Christ during this pilgrimage, or during the second one he undertook when he crossed the sea again. Because Vincentius narrates these things quite fully near the end of his history—where he relies not on hearsay, but on events from his own time—they are omitted here for the sake of brevity. Afterward, however, upon hearing of the death of the Queen, his mother, he decided on the advice of his barons to return. He agreed to return to France, and while he was at sea, the ship carrying him was struck twice by the force of the waves. The ship struck the rock so hard that the sailors and others believed it was going to perish. Terrified by such a great impact, the priests, clerics, and others found the holy King praying before the sacred Body of Jesus Christ, and they all firmly believed that it was through his merits and prayers that Almighty God had delivered them from the danger of death.
A Reign of Justice and Devotion
Upon returning to France, Louis establishes hospitals, protects the Church, and governs with strict, impartial justice.
When he returned to France, everyone welcomed him with unspeakable joy. From that time on, he progressed from virtue to virtue, reaching the fullness of a perfect life. He began establishing hospitals for the poor and building monasteries for religious, as well as cloisters, dormitories, churches, and other necessary buildings. In almost every city in his kingdom, he provided for the blind and for the Beguine daughters of God, setting aside specific alms from places and houses suitable for them. He also donated significant revenues to many monasteries of various orders that he had founded, including the Cistercian abbey of Royaumont, which he magnificently founded and endowed. Once, while at a meal—and it is a wondrous thing to tell—he humbly served a leprous monk by kneeling down and placing food and drink into his mouth. The abbot and those present burst into tears, barely able to watch out of horror. He also venerated holy relics with special devotion and constantly increased the worship of God and the honor of the saints. He built a beautiful chapel in the royal palace in Paris, where he worthily placed the Lord's holy crown, a large part of the holy cross, and the iron of the lance that opened the Savior's side, along with many other relics he had received from the Emperor of Constantinople at great labor and expense. He could not bear to hear insults against the Christian faith, but, zealous for the zeal of God, he punished them severely. Consequently, he ordered a citizen of Paris who had shamefully blasphemed Christ by swearing to be branded on his lips with a red-hot iron as a punishment for his sin and a warning to others. He said, 'I would be willing to bear such a mark on my lips for the rest of my life, if only this most wicked vice of swearing were completely removed from our kingdom.' Similarly, when the Saracens asked in a treaty for him to add a clause about paying money for himself and his people, and to swear that he would deny the faith of Christ if he didn't keep the pact, he steadfastly refused. When those present urged him, saying he could do this without sin, he replied, 'I so dread the very word of denying the faith, even under condition, that I couldn't even bring myself to utter it.' In the same place, he also refused to knight a noble Saracen who had recently killed the Sultan, saying he would not mark any infidel with the belt of knighthood, neither for life nor for death. He held the sign of the cross in such great reverence that he would not step on it, and he demanded that many religious orders not carve crosses into the floors of their cloisters or on their tombs, and that any already carved be completely scraped away. In his governance, he acted with such integrity that he administered justice to everyone without showing favoritism. Fearing that the cases of the poor might struggle to reach the judges, he would place himself in an open area twice a week to hear those seeking justice, and he made sure their cases were resolved as quickly as he could. And whenever a matter of faith was brought to him by prelates or inquisitors, he set everything else aside to have it resolved as quickly as possible. He would not admit duels, as they were prohibited by law, but instead punished the crimes of even the great lords through other, lawful means. Furthermore, to abolish usury, he decreed that no judge should compel those who were indebted to Jews or other public usurers to pay them back.
The Final Pilgrimage and Heavenly Reward
Louis embarks on his final crusade, dies in Africa with holy resignation, and is glorified through post-mortem miracles.
And because justice produces peace, God gave him peace and gave his kingdom tranquility. Finally, after many years had passed, hearing of the desolation of the Holy Land and unable to bear the suffering of the Christian people, he decided to cross the sea a second time with his sons, the counts of his realm, and his nobles. During this crossing: Seeing that his final day was approaching, he warned his sons to persist with all their strength in the defense of the Church of God and the Holy Land, just as he himself had done. As the fleet sailed toward Tunis and his army freely took the port in Africa, they captured the fortress of Carthage and the surrounding region by force of arms. They had pitched their tents between Carthage and Tunis, intending to stay there for some time. There, then, the blessed Louis, after so many praiseworthy works of virtue and so many laborious struggles that he had endured for the faith of Christ with an indefatigable spirit, lay down on his bed, exhausted by a continuous fever, as God—who wished to bring his labors to a happy conclusion and reward the fruit of his efforts—ordained. As the illness grew worse, he remained of sound mind, with his affections and hearing intact, and while praying and devoutly calling upon the saints, he received all the ecclesiastical sacraments. Finally, coming to his last hour, he lay down on a bed of ashes and spoke his final words: "Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit." In the year of our Lord 1270, at the ninth hour, he happily departed to Christ. His body was carried to the tomb of his fathers at Saint-Denis in France, where, as in other places in various parts of the world, he shines with frequent miracles. On the day of his burial, a certain woman from the diocese of Sées recovered the sight she had previously lost, entirely through the merits and prayers of the holy king. A young man from Burgundy, deaf and mute from birth, came with others to his tomb and, seeing what others were doing, begged for the saint's help with exterior gestures. After he had remained there for some time, his ears were opened and the bond of his tongue was loosened, and he who had never heard French began to speak it purely. When he first heard the bells ringing, he was terrified by the great noise, thinking the whole church was going to collapse on top of him. In the year that blessed Louis was inscribed in the catalog of saints, many miracles occurred in various places through his invocation. Indeed, in Évreux, parents commended their son, who had drowned near a mill, to the many intercessions of the saints. But as Almighty God mercifully arranged to glorify his saint, a voice thundered that the aforementioned boy should be devoted to blessed Louis. Upon which, he was immediately carried to the church of the Friars Preachers, recently founded in honor of blessed Louis, with the customary offerings, and he appeared alive at once.
Read the original Latin
Ludovicus dicitur quasi Jucem donans seu lacis dator, Interpretalur etiain quanlun ad ultimam nominis partem custos, Icos enim graece dicitur custos latine, Fuit enim severus verbi custos Dei, ut ex ejus gestis demonstratur. Fuit etiam pervigil custos exercitus sui in lerra et mari ac etiam in ipso conllictu cerluninis, Unde de eo in ecclesia cantatur, Ludovicus ex nomine lucis dator exprimitur el custos in certamine praesentis vitae ponitur, — Beatus Ludovicus quondam rex Francorum illustris patrem habuit christianissunum regem nomine Ludovicum. Hic de Albigesio et comitatu Tolosano haereticos debellayit et haereses exstirpavit, et dum reverleretne. in Franciam, migravit ad Chrislum, Puer igitur sanctae indolis patre strenuissimo sic orbatus sub Lulela matris videlicet Dlancae reginae quondam regis Castellae filiae remansit. Quem ipsa tenerrime diligens spb custodia spiritualis magistri et consilio religiosorum maxime ordinis fralrum praedicatorum et minorum in moribus el scientia lilterarmn tradidit ünbuendum. At ipse velut alter. Salomon puer ingeniosus et bonam sortitus animam super coaetaneos suos profecit valde taudabiliter in utrisque, Cujus sanctitati congaudens pia mater pluries dicebat eidem: plus vellem, fili carissime, te mortem incurrere temporalem, quam per aliquod peccatum mortale te tuum offendere creatorem, Quod verbum devotus filins in animo sic firmavit, quod divina comitante gratia a vitiis abstinens ad culmen virtutum pervenisse ab omnibus censeretur. Dehino divina providentia, ne tam nobile regnum regali successione careret, uxorem duxit, de qua susceptam sobolem generosum vir sanctus summo opere stnduit educare, docens eos super omnia tinere Deum et ab omni peccato jugiter abstinere, Serta quoque de rosis sen alios capellos eos portare sextis feriis prohibebat propter coronam Spineam tali die impositam capiti salvatoris.
Ipse vero exemplo apostoli corpus Suum casligans et in servitutem redigens castigatione multiplici suo spiritui servire cogebat, multo tempore cilicium ad carnem npplicans. Jejunabat quoque omni tempore sextis feriis et maxime in adventu et quadragesima, in quibus a piscibus et fructibus abstinebat, laboribus, vigiliis, orationibus et aliis secretis abstinentiis et disciplinis jugiter se affligens, Quolibet etiam sabbato consueverat in loco secretissimo quorundam pauperum propriis manibus abluere pedes et deinde tergere ac humiliter osculari, süniliter et manus, cuilibet certam summam pecuniae tribuendo, Pluries etiam CXX pauperibus, qui in curia sua omni die reficiebantur abunde, et vigiliis sollemnibus ac quibusdam certis diebus per annum CC pauperibus, antequam ipse comederet, mann propria fercula ministravit, Semper enim in prandio et coena prope se tres senes pauperes recumbentes habebat, quibus de cibis sibi appositis caritative ministrabat, Christum pauperem in suis pauperibus venerando, de quorum reliquiis comedere non horrebat. Scarleto etiam seu bruneto awt viridi vel alia veste pomposa nti nolebat nec pellibus variis aut nimium sumtnosis, maxime postquam de partibus transmarinis rediit prima vice. Dilatationem vero fidei ardenti desiderio cupiebat, unde tamquam verus amator fidei et zelator tres fratres suos commilitones ac majores regni barones et milites secum ducens eum exercitu maximo applicuit in Aegyptum, ubi multa in se et suis mala perpessus dehinc ab hostibus captus et carceri mancipatus modico tandem pretio, quod mirabile est, redemtus fuit et liberatus. Eductus itaque de carcere per quinque annos in Syria remansit multos Saracenos ad fidem convertens ac captivos christianos redimens, quomm corpora plerumque propriis manibus sepeliebat, Ubi quanta pro fide Christi in hac peregrinatione ac eliam in alia, quam secundo transfreiavit, sustinuit, nisi qui affuit aut majora volumina inspexit, nemo sufficienter mente perpendit. (Quae quia in historiali circa finem satis diffuse narrat Vincentius, ubi non de auditis relatu, sed suo tempore gestis fidem facit, brevitatis gratia dimittuntur, Postinodum vero audita morte reginae matris suae baronum snorum consilio redire. in Franciam acqnievit, et dum esset in mari, navis ipsum deferens bina impulsione ad. rupem tam fortiter est collisa, quod a nautis et aliis peritura crederetur, Tanta igitur concnssione perterriti sacerdotes, clerici et alii sanctum regem invenernnt orantem coram sacro corpore Jesu Christi et fuit eorum omnium firma fides, quod ejts meritis et precibus eos omnipotens Dens a mortis periculo liberasset.
Reversus itaque in Franciam cum ineffabili gaudio ab omnibus est receptus ac extunc de virtute in virtutem proficiens ad omnimodam vilae perfectionem pervenit, Tune enim coepit fundare hospitales domos pauperum, religiosormm aedificare monasteria, claustra dormitoria, ecclesias, loca et alia aedificia opportuna. Caecis, beguinis filiabus Dei fere in omni civitate regni cum certis elemosinis de locis et domibus sibi competentibus providit. Plura etiam monasteria diversorum ordinum ab ipso fundata ex toto magnis donavit reditibus, inter quae abbatiam regalis montis Cisterciensis ordinis magnifice fundavit et dotavit. In qua semel, quod ürabile est dictu, cuidam 1n0nacho leproso in quodam prandio flexis genibus cibum et polum in os ejus immitlendo humiliter ministravit, abbate et qui aderant in lacrymas prorumpentibus, prae horrore vix videre valentibus. Praecipua etiam devotione sanctas venerabatur reliquias et Dei cultum et honorem sanctorum jugiter augmentabat, Parisiis siquidem in regali palatio capellam speciosissimaim construxit, in qua sacrosanctam coronam domini et maximam partem sanctae crucis ferrumque lanceae, quod latus aperuit salvatoris, cum pluribus aliis reliquiis dignissime collocavit, quas a Constantinopolitano imperatore receperat cum immensis laboribus et expensis. Opprobria vero fidei christianae audire non poterat, sed zelando zelum Dei graviter puniebat. Unde quendam civem Parisiensem, qui turpiter jurando Christum blasphemaverat, in peccati poenam et aliorum terrorem ferro candenti in labiis suis cauterisari praecepit dicens: vellem, quoad vixero, in labiis meis talem indecentiam sustinere, dummodo hoc pessimum jurationis vitium de regno nostro penitus tolleretur. Similiter Saracenis petentibus in pactione de solvenda pecunia pro se et suis addere, quod fidem Christi negaret, si pactum non teneret, facere constanter denegavit et iru pimus qe y qui aderant, quod hoc sine peccato facere possit, respondit: tantum horreo verbum de neganda fide etiam sub conditione audire, quod non possem illud exprimere sono vocis, lbidem etiam quendam nobilem Saracenun, qui recenter Soldanum occiderat, facere militem recusavit, dicens, quod nec pro morte nec pro vita infidelem quemquam insigniret baltheo militari.
Jn tanta etiam veneratione habebat signaculum crucis, quod desuper calcare nolebat et a pluribus religiosis exegit, ut in claustris eorum, in tumbis cruces non insculperentur et insculptae penitus raderentur, In regimine vero ita pudenter se gerebat, quod absque personarum acceptione justitiam reddebat wnicuique, Timens vero, ne causae pauperum vix ingrederentar ad judices, bis in hebdomada audiendum conquirentes, loco patenti se ponebat et eos celeriter, quantum poterat, expediri faciebat, Et quando negotium fidei per praelatos seu inquisitores deferebatue ad eum, omnibus aliis postpositis faciebat quam citius expediri, Duella vero tamquam a jure prohibita cujusquam instantia non admittebat, sed per aliam viam juri consonam etiam magnatum maleficia puniebat, Statuit insuper ad abolendum usuras, ut obligatos Judaeis aut aliis publicis usurariis nullus judex compelleret ad solvendum. Et quia pacem operatur justitia, dedit sibi Deus pacem et regno tranquillitatem, Tandem post anultorum annorum spatia audiens desolationem terrae sanctae et mala christiamae gentis ferre non valens cum filiis suis ac regni comitibus et magnatibus secundo transfretare disposuit. In qua transfretatione. diem suum ultimum appropinquantem videns filios suos admonebat, ut pro ecclesia Dei et defensione terrae sanctae, uti ipse faciebat, omni virtute insisterent, Currente igitur navigio versus Tunicium et exercitu suo libere capiente portum in Africa, Carthaginis castrum et adjacentem regionem vi armorum ceperunt. Deinde inter Carthaginem et Tunicium fixerant tentoria, ibi aliquamdiu moraturi, Illic ergo bentus Ludovicus post tot laudabilia virtutum opera, post tot laboriosos agones, quos pro fide Christi indefesso animo toleraverat, disponente Deo, qui labores snos voluit feliciter consummare et laborum suorum íructum retribnere, lecto decubnit febre contina fatigatus. Invalescente igitur morbo, sana mente, integro affectn atque auditu orans ac sanctos imvocans devote suscepit omnia ecclesiastica sacramenta, Demum ad extremam horam veniens et super stratum cinereum recubans verba proferens ultima parte: in manus tuas, domine, commendo spiritum meum, Anno domini MCCLXX hora IX feliciter migravit ad Christum, corpus wero illius delatnm foit ad sepnlchrum patrum, suorum apud sanctum Dionysium in Francim, ubi et etinm alibi in diversis mundi partibns crebris coruscat miraculis, In die sepulturae ejus quaedam mulier Sagiensis dyoecesis visum, quem prius perdiderat, recuperavit omnino meritis et precibus pii regis, Quidam juvenis de Burgundia surdus et mutus æ nativitate cum aliis weniens ad sepulehram ejus, prout videbat alios facere, nutibus exterioribus sancti suffragimm implorabat, Et cum ibi aliquamdiu permansisset,"apertae sunt anres ejus et solntum vinculum lingnae ejus, et qui nunquam Gallicum audierat, pure Gallicam loquebatur, Et cum audivit primo campanas pulsari, maximo terrore perterritus putabat, totum ecclesiam super se ruiluram, Anno, quo beatus Ludovicus fuit ascriplus sanclorum catalogo, in diversis partibus ad invocationem ipsius multa contigerunt miracula, Ebroicis namque puerum quendam prope quoddam molendinum submersum parentes multis sanctorum suflragiis commendaverunt. Verum omuipotenti Deo misericorditer disponente mirificare sanctum suum vox intonuit, ut puer praedictus beato Ludovico dewovwerelur. Quo statim ad ecclesiam fratrum praedicatorum nuper in honorem beati Ludovici fundatam cuim solitis oblationibus delato confestim vivus apparuit,
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