Françoise de Nérestang

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Françoise de Nérestang (born October 14, 1591 in Le Chambon-Feugerolles , † March 16, 1652 in La Bénisson-Dieu ) was a French Cistercian , abbess and monastery reformer .

life and work

Françoise de Nérestang was the daughter of Henry IV and Louis XIII. important military leader Philibert de Nérestang († 1620), lord of Aurec-sur-Loire . She was born in what was then Chaponost Castle (still the field name in Le Chambon-Feugerolles today) on the banks of the Ondaine River . Her upbringing began at the age of six in the Bonlieu Monastery (Loire) and continued in Paris from 1601. Since her father received the Mègemont Abbey as a gift from the king in 1602 , he decided to appoint his daughter as abbess. She returned to the Bonlieu monastery, entered the Cistercian order as a novice in 1603 and was ordained abbess of Mègemont on July 2, 1605 in Le Puy by Bishop Jacques de Serres. She therefore only moved into the Mégemont monastery, which was in poor structural condition and which her father had renovated, after further studies in the Coyroux monastery . In 1611 her father, who also owned the Cistercian monastery La Bénisson-Dieu , decided to swap convents because La Bénisson-Dieu seemed more suitable for nuns. From 1612 until her death, she was abbess of La Bénisson-Dieu for forty years.

Supported by Denis Largentier , Abbot of Clairvaux , who visited her several times, she reformed her monastery in the spirit of the Council of Trento , similar to the Cistercian reform abbesses Angélique Arnauld , Jeanne de Pourlan and Louise de Ballon of the same age . It is a peculiarity of her reform that she only demanded the most extreme heroic asceticism (from which she finally died prematurely) from herself and imposed moderate conditions on the convention. She left behind self-formulated prayer texts that were published on 80 pages in print by her panegyric , the Franciscan recollect Chérubin de Marcignac, under the title “Relics of Sacred Thoughts”.

Quote

Etant obligée par toute sorte de raisons de vous aimer, servir et adorer, je le veux faire éternellement en quelque état qu'il vous plaise de me réduire et quand même je saurais indubitablement que votre Justice aurait décrété ma perte et qu'elle aurait arrêté ma condamnation. Je vous supplie au moins, mon cher Maître, de me permettre d'emporter cette consolation dans mon tombeau, d'avoir témoigné par mes actions à tout le Monde que je veux conserver inviolable l'inclination que vous m'avez inspirée de vous rendre les justes devoirs d'un Amour désintéressé, constant et fidèle et d'avoir offert durant ma misérable vie quelque tribut à vos Bontés avant que d'être condamnée à payer ceux que je dois à la Nature et à votre Justice . (Résignation absolue à la Divine Volonté, conclusion, in: Les Reliques, p. 68)

"Since I am obliged for reasons of all kinds to love you, to serve you and to worship you, I want to do it forever, no matter what situation I find myself in according to your will and even if I knew beyond doubt that your righteousness destined me and my damnation would be established. But I beg you, my beloved master, to allow me to take at least this consolation with me to the grave, that through my deeds I have given testimony to the whole world of two things: I have always maintained the inclination you inspired, you dutifully to love unselfishly, permanently and faithfully. And also to your goodness I have paid some tribute in my poor life before I am condemned to pay the tribute that I owe to nature and your righteousness. ”(Complete submission to the will of God)

Works

literature

personal data
SURNAME Nérestang, Françoise de
BRIEF DESCRIPTION French Cistercian, abbess and monastery reformer
DATE OF BIRTH October 14, 1591
PLACE OF BIRTH Le Chambon-Feugerolles
DATE OF DEATH March 16, 1652
Place of death Bénisson-Dieu