Sisters of the Holy Sacrament of Valence
The Sisters of the Holy Sacrament of Valence (French: Religieuses du Saint Sacrement de Valence , abbreviation : RSS) have been a Roman Catholic religious community since 1715 .
history
Beginnings up to the revolution
A certain Marguerite from Nozières , attracted by the construction of a great Way of the Cross by the blessed Pierre Vigne , came to the nearby Boucieu-le-Roi in what is now the French Ardèche in 1713 to live holy there. She taught and served as a guide on the Way of the Cross. In 1714 three more women joined her: Catherine Junique from Macheville (today: Lamastre ), Louise Bouveyron from Colombier-le-Jeune and Jeanne Rouveure from Saint-Barthélemy-le-Plain . While Marguerite left because she was not made for community life, the group of three expanded to include four more members: Marie Spéliat, Marguerite Rouveure, Marie Bost and Jeanne Chalaye. These seven were constituted on 30 November 1715 the spiritual guidance of Pierre Vigne, who wrote them a rule of the order, the Congregation of the Soeurs du Calvaire , which later Soeurs du Saint Sacrement called (Sisters of the Holy Sacrament) (after in Valence -based Priestly Community of the Most Holy , which Pierre Vigne had joined). The bishop of Valence , Jean de Catellan (1659–1725), promoted the community, which had grown to twelve nuns in 1718 and began to establish branches (including in Tournon-sur-Rhône , Grignan , Pierrelatte , Valréas , Nyons and Valence) . In 1787 it was officially recognized by the king, but then, like all other orders, dissolved by the French Revolution .
Development since the revolution
In 1804 the congregation was able to reorganize and settle in the Cistercian Abbey of Saint-Just in Romans-sur-Isère . In 1813 it was again officially recognized. In 1906 the generalate moved from Romans to Valence. In the meantime, subsidiary monasteries had been founded beyond the borders of France: in Italy in 1869, in England in 1874 and (particularly successfully) in Brazil in 1903. There were also: Ireland (1954), Spain (1964) and Tanzania (2004). Today the order comprises 42 houses with around 300 nuns.
Superiors (selection)
- 1715-1724: Louise Bouveyron
- 1724–1741: Antoinette Pontier (niece of Pierre Vigne)
- 1741–: Saint-Joseph Junique
- Sainte-Agnès Jarrias
- Saint-Michel Blachere
- Sainte-Euphrasie Palisse
- 1816–: Saint-Joseph Mistral
- 1855–1897: Saint-Joseph Bouvaret (for 42 years)
literature
- Constitutions de la congrégation des Soeurs du Très Saint Sacrement avec les approbations romaines . Valence 1925.
- Annie Gerest and Congrégation des soeurs du Saint-Sacrement: Pierre Vigne. In chemin avec les humbles . Nouvelle Cité, Bruyères-le-Châtel 2012.
- Annie Gerest and Congrégation des soeurs du Saint-Sacrement: Notre histoire de 1940 à 2014 sur trois continents . Nouvelle Cité, Bruyères-le-Châtel 2015.
- Félix Vernet (1863-1942): La congrégation des religieuses du Très-Saint-Sacrement de Valence (1715-1940) . Imprimerie M. Lescuyer, Lyon, 1941.
Web links
- Literature by and about Sisters of the Holy Sacrament of Valence in the SUDOC catalog (Association of French University Libraries)
- Information on Sisters of the Holy Sacrament of Valence in the database of the Bibliothèque nationale de France .