Saints are important because they can be role models for people. They provide inspiration and examples of how to live a faithful life and how to be closer to God. Since saints have had an experienced life, people can use saints as a guide when they need someone to look up to. One important saint is, Saint Isabelle of France.
Isabelle declined the opportunity to become an abbess, which allowed her to retain her wealth and resources, so she could support the poor (Wikipedia.org pp 1). She is the patroness of the poor, sick, and needy (Historyofroyawomen.com pp 1). Isabelle was born on March 1224 in France, being one of thirteen children(Wikipedia.org pp 1) (Historyofroyalwomen.
com pp 1). She was a younger sister and an older sister. Her parents were the king and queen of France, so she was born in luxury and royalty (Wikipedia.org pp 1) (Weebly.com pp 2) (Faith.
nd.edu pp 3). Her father was King Louis VII of France, but he died around the age of sixty, when she was only two years old. Her mother was Blanche of Castile, queen of France. Since her mother was left to take care of the family, Isabelle’s mother oversaw her education. Isabelle was already learning and studying a new language. She knew how to speak and read in Latin. As a child, she felt that she was already devoted to religion.
So she then, pursued the traditional feminine interests, such as embroidery, and took special pleasure in working on priestly vestments for divine services (Wikipedia.org pp 1,2). Since she knew how to speak and read in Latin, she prayed the Latin Liturgy and read the Latin writings of the church (Roman-Catholic-Saints.com pp 2) (Faith.
nd.edu pp 3). When Isabelle would go to the masses at church, she would beg for forgiveness on her knees before she would receive communion (Faith.nd.edu pp 3). She would askGod for forgiveness for the people she helped and loved.
Isabelle would always put others before herself, she treated them just as God treats all people. So she would visit the sick and poor people. Before Isabelle would eat dinner she would invite poor people in her home and seat them at her table and serve them food (Faith.
nd.edu pp 3). She eventually decided to fast for three days every week but, she still would give and send food to the poor and sick (Roman-Catholic-Saints.
com pp 2). Through Isabelle’s life she exhibited a constant concern for charitable and hospital work (New Catholic Encyclopedia Volume 7 pp 665). She began to build charities and later founded a monastery called Order of Poor Ladies (Weebly.
com pp 2),(Sites.google.com pp 1). Throughout Isabelle’s life she turned down several opportunities of marriage because, she wanted to serve the church (Weebly.
com pp 2). So she determined to stay unmarried but, the pope pressed her to accept a marriage proposal (Historyofroyalwomen.com pp 1). A marriage to Hugh XI of Lusignan was suggested but she refused to take a vow. She even resisted the political advantage of this marriage. Eventually the pope praised her marriage decision.
(Historyofroyalwomen.com pp 1), (New Catholic Encyclopedia Volume 7 pp 665). Since she refused to marry him, there are stories that say that, God punished her with sickness (Sites.Google.
com pp 1). Later in life she died on February 23, 1270, at the age of 45 (Wikipedia.org pp 1). She died in her house at Longchamp (Historyofroyalwomen.com pp 1), (Wikipedia.org pp). The church decided to exhume her body and bury it in the Monastery church (Historyofroyalwomen.
com pp 1), (Wkipedia.org pp 2). Miraculously Isabelle’s dead body showed no signs of decay after nine days (Historyofroyalwomen.com pp 1). Miracles were said to have been occuring at her grave (Historyofroyalwomen.
com pp 1). Isabelle of France did not live with the nuns, but she lived next door to the church in her own home (Wikipedia.org pp 1), (Weebly.com pp 2). She also follow the same rules that the nuns followed, but when she suffered certain illnesses, it prevented her from following certain rules of the way a nun lived her life. Her illnesses kept her silent for most of her days (Historyofroyawomen.com pp 1) (Wikipedia.org pp 1).
One day Isabelle was knitting a nightcap. The king asked her to give it to him when she was finished. “No”, she said, “this is the first kind and I must make it for my Savior Jesus Christ.” She gave it to a poor person and made another for the king ( Roman-Catholic-Saints.com pp 2). Saint Isabelle is the patroness of helping the poor, sick, and needy (HIstoryofroyalwomen.
com pp 1). She is a saint with the patron of helping the poor because, she gives up her time to helping and giving to the poor. And refused marriages and advantages just because she wanted to serve others and to serve God. The world’s view of saint Isabelle of France is that they see her, as a very tender person. They know she would give up her food and knit clothes for the poor. Saint Isabelle of France feast day is February 26.
