Louis of Toulouse

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Panel painting of Saint Louis of Toulouse by Antonio Vivarini , (ca.1450)

Ludwig von Toulouse (also Ludwig von Anjou ) (born February 9, 1274 in Nocera dei Pagani near Salerno , Kingdom of Naples (now Italy ); †  August 19, 1297 in Brignoles in France ) from the house of Anjou was Archbishop of Toulouse , Franciscan religious and is a saint of the Catholic Church . His feast day is August 19th.

Life

Ludwig was the second son of a total of fifteen children of Charles of Anjou, called the Lame, Prince of Salerno and future King Charles II of Naples and his wife Maria of Hungary . Through his father he was a great-nephew of King Louis IX. from France and through his mother a great-great-nephew of St. Elisabeth of Thuringia .

At the request of his grandfather Charles I of Naples , he was brought up with his brothers in France and grew up in Brignoles, Provençal . After Ludwig's father got into Aragonese captivity on June 5, 1284 during the sea battle near Naples , his grandfather died († January 7, 1285). During this time, Ludwig met the brother François Brun from the Order of Friars Minor of St. Francis of Assisi , who became his companion and had a great influence on him. François Brun and his friar Pierre Scarrerii followed Ludwig, his brothers Robert and Raimund-Berengar when they took themselves hostage for their father in accordance with the agreement signed on July 25, 1288 through which Charles II regained his freedom.

Charles's sons, accompanied by sixty young nobles, were held from 1288 to 1295. They were initially assigned to stay in Montcada near Barcelona , then Ciurana, high in the mountains of Tarragona . Treated with respect, they were allowed to organize their daily routine freely, ride out, hunt and organize tournaments, but were completely isolated from the outside world and in need of money, as their financially ruined father could hardly give them any support.

Ludwig took over the management of the community, for which he wrote a rule that was both military and spiritual. He used his time to exchange ideas with the Minor Brothers and devoted himself to studying the Latin language and theology . Seriously ill with tuberculosis , he decided on February 1, 1290 to dedicate his life to God and, meanwhile recovered, vowed this again on the following Whitsun festival. He refrained from carrying weapons and from participating in the hunt. When the conditions of captivity were relaxed, he was able to go to Barcelona, ​​where he regularly stayed in the monastery of the Friars Minor and attended university. There I made contact with the spiritualistic wing of the Franciscan order , especially with Petrus Johannis Olivi .

Thanks to the efforts of Pope Boniface VIII , Aragon and the House of Anjou made peace on June 7, 1295. In October Ludwig was reunited with his family in Figueres , where preparations were made for the marriage of his sister Blanka to Jacob II of Aragon , on the occasion of which Johann received the tonsure in the monastery of Santa Maria de Vilabertran . He entered the clergy against the will and without the knowledge of his father - who had further wedding plans with the House of Aragón and wanted to marry Louis to Jolande of Aragón.

Ludwig became a member of the Franciscan Order on December 24, 1296 and was appointed Bishop of Toulouse on December 29, 1296. By renouncing the throne of Naples, his younger brother Robert became king. He died in 1297 and, according to his last will, was buried in the Franciscan church of Marseille . His father pushed ahead with the opening of a canonization process in 1300 without the support of the Franciscan order. The trial took place in Marseille in 1308, but it was not until April 13, 1317 that Louis was elected by Pope John XXII. canonized. His brother Robert translated his bones into a grave altar in 1319, but in 1433 Alfonso V of Aragón transferred the relics to the Cathedral of Valencia in Spain . From there the veneration of the saint spread across Europe.

Saint Louis of Toulouse is the author of famous sermons and a treatise on polyphonic music (see Codex Laurentiano-Ashburn 1051 in Florence ).

Polyptych with St. Louis of Toulouse, St. Elisabeth of Thuringia , St. Clare and St. Louis IX. , King of France (fresco by Simone Martini)

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personal data
SURNAME Louis of Toulouse
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Ludwig of Anjou
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Saint; Archbishop of Toulouse
DATE OF BIRTH February 9, 1274
PLACE OF BIRTH Nocera dei Pagani , Italy
DATE OF DEATH August 19, 1297
Place of death Brignoles