Louis of Anjou

Louis of Anjou , born with Brignoles in the department of the VAr the February 9th 1274, deceased in the same city the August 19th 1297, is wire of Charles II, king de Naples, and of Marie of Hungary. He is great nephew of Saint-Louis, the king of France.

Biography

Birth and childhood

Louis of Anjou, born with Brignoles (VAr) on February 9th, 1274 is the son of Charles II of Anjou known as " the boiteux" itself wire of Charles of Anjou brother of the king de France Saint-Louis, and of Marie of Hungary girl of Etienne V king de Hongrie, sister and heiress of Ladislas the cumain. He is the second child of a many family of 13 brothers and sisters of which

Charles Martel the groin, titular king of Hungary husband Clémence de Hasbourg, girl of the emperor Charles IV.
Robert wise the, king de Naples husband Yolande d' Aragon then Sancia de Majorque.
Raymond Berenger
Philippe of Sicily, prince de Tarente.
Pierre, killed in Monte Catini.
Jean of Sicily, prince de Duras.
Marguerite of Anjou, wife of Charles de Valois brother of Philippe IV Beautiful the.

Towards the 7 years age he was entrusted to a governor of origin Norman Guillaume de Manerie and to a priest Jean de Bymaret who was to become canon of Forcalquier. He accepted a éducatioon worthy of his rank of prince but very young was attracted by the religious life. As soon as it had a dozen years, two monks about Saint-François dealt with the young boy: Guillaume de Millard and François Brun who will have a decisive influence on the vocation of the Louis young person.

Adolescence in prison

The international situation comes boulverser this life regular. Indeed after famous the sicilian Vêpres (March 30th, 1282) which had driven out the angevins Sicily, king Charles of Anjou wanted to take again possession of the rebellious island. Dice the month of May 1282, it makes undertake with Marseilles the construction of a fleet ordered by Jean de Vivaud that it sends to Messine. The following year the admiral Barthélemy Bonvin gathers several ships but the results are disappointing. First of all Guillaume Cornut is beaten by Aragonese the July 8th 1283, then the Marseilles and Neapolitan fleet is again demolished the June 5th 1284 by the admiral Ruggero de Laura. During this last battle the father of Louis, Charles who is only prince of Salerno but heir to the crown of Naples is made prisoner. Shawls 1st of Anjou having died with Foggia on January 7th, 1285, the prince of Salerno becomes king de Naples under the name of Chales II but remains in prison.

Following the treaty of Oloron (the Atlantic Pyrenees) of at the end of July 1287 and after various negociations, Charles II is released in 1288 but in the condition that 3 of its sons Louis, Robert and Raymond Bérenger are delivered as an hostage to king d' Aragon like 60 provençaux lords and 20 notable Marseillais.

Louis will be thus prisoner in Catalogne during 7 years is age from 14 to 21 years. He was initially imprisoned with the castle of Moncade meadows of Barcelona, then in that of Ciurna in the province of Tarragone. The detention conditions in this last place were particulèrement hard and it probably contracted there the tuberculosis of which it died little of time afterwards.

It announced its intention to be made priest with his father who did not oppose it. During his detention the pope Célestin V named it in October 1294 bishop of Lyon, but this dedication was not effective.

Following the strong implication of the pope Boniface VIII a peace treaty is signed in Agnani between king d' Aragon and the king of Naples on June 12th, 1295. Charles II apprétait himself to go to Catalonia when it accepted the terrible news of the death of his oldest son Charles Martel who made of Louis of Anjou the heir to the crown of Naples if it had not desisted with the profit from his Robert brother. A meeting took place on October 31st, 1295 with Figuières between the king Jacques II of Aragon and Charles II of Anjou during which the prisoners were released.

The bishop

The release of Louis does not change his decision to return in the orders. Of return in Provence, he visits the churches and brood, he carries help to the poor and the prisoners. Everywhere it receives warm welcome. Arrived at Naples it is withdrawn with the castle of egg and gathers a community of Minor Frères there.

The pope Boniface VIII who had not forgotten the nomination of his predecessor, appoints it bishop of Toulouse. The ceremony of vêture and taking the cloth which took place on December 23rd, 1296 was followed dedication by the pope Boniface VIII in the Basilique Saint-Pierre the 30 (and not 29) December 1296. The Louis January 5th, 1297 leaves the Eternal City to go back to Naples where its arrival caused a general enthusiasm. To go in its diocese of Toulouse it went to Florence and Brignoles then made a long turning by Paris to meet the king of France Philippe IV beautiful the. He joined Toulouse in the month of March 1297 to manage his diocese. Receipt by the capitouls and the various bodies and corporations, it makes a triumphal entry. It transforms its palate and introduced there the order and simplicity. It pays several visits in particular with Barcelona.

Persuaded that Boniface VIII had devoted it bishop because it was wire of king and not because he was a simple priest, he plans to resign. Having learned that his/her large uncle Louis IX would be canonized on August 11th during a ceremony to which it was invited, it decides to go to Rome.

The death and canonization

During its voyage it stops with Tarascon (Rhone delta) then with Brignoles, its birthplace. There it falls seriously sick and dies the August 19th 1297 at the 23 years age. It chooses for burial the convent of the minor brothers in Marseilles. The body of Louis was treated according to the habit of the time which was going soon to be condemned by the church and which consisted in separating the flesh from the bones. The flesh were buried on the spot in the cloister of the minor brothers while the bones were transported in the church of the minor brothers of Marseilles which was outside the ramparts on grounds ranging between the streets green Tapis and Thubaneau.

Its reputation of holiness was so large that the bishop of Marseilles, Durand de Trésémines requested of the pope Clément V a lawsuit of canonization which was entrusted to Guy de Neufville bishop of Saintes and with Raymond bishop of Lectoure. The April 7th 1317, the pope Jean XXII, old official of Louis from Anjou to Toulouse, publishes in the presence of king Robert the bubble of canonis&tion.

The November 8th 1319 king Robert, accompanied by the Sanche queen his wife and many cardinals, went to Marseilles to attend the transfer of the remainders of his/her brother of the vault where it rested with the high altar of the convent of the minor brothers.

The argument of the relics

From return of a campaign against Louis III of Anjou in 1423, the fleet of Alphonse V of Aragon passes in front of Marseilles and attacks. The city was taken on November 20th, 1423 and plundering lasted 3 days. Aragonese devastated the convent of the minor brothers. The relics of Saint Louis of Anjou were found on an indication obtained by the plunderers, dabs a house of the city where they had been put at the shelter before the attack. The king made them transfer onto his ships. The chain which barred the entry of the port was also removed. These trophies were deposited in the cathedral of Valence.

At the 16th century, the convent of the minor brothers which was outside but very close them ramparts, had to be shaven to facilitate the defense of the city against the attacks of the troops of Charles Quint ordered by the constable of Bourbon. The seat lasted from August 19th to September 28th, 1524, but the city resisted. In spite of various interventions, these spoils of war remained in Spain. However in 1956 the archbishop of Valence Mgr. Olazchea Loizago and the archbishop of Marseilles Mgr. Delay found a compromise: two vertebrae of the Saint were brought back to Marseilles on June 24th, 1956 and were placed in the church of Augustins where a church of the Templiers was before.

The festival of Saint-Louis of Anjou is the August 19th.

Homages and representations

The radiation of the worship of Saint of Anjou nothing but did develop. Many works of artists, tables or scultures, represent the saint.

In France

It is in Provence where its memory is marked the most. Brignoles, its birthplace of which he became patron saint on January 25th, 1617, preserves in the church Saint Saver his miter and its gloves. In the basilica of Maximin saint a vault is which shelters a cover offered by Charles II.

One finds in Toulouse, in the cathedral Saint-Saver, large an oval reliquary of Saint-Louis of Anjou by Joseph Favier. In this same city, one finds with the museum of the augustins a statue representing Saint-Louis of Anjou the head leaning and turned on the line.

The museum of Louvre preserves the reliquary carried out between 1336 and 1338 on order of king Robert to shelter a bone of the arm, one of the relics carried from Marseilles to Naples in 1339. Of the cylindrical rock crystal shape decorated with posts silver and enamels translucent, it ends in a money hand gilded. The goldsmith would be Lando di Pietro, one of the largest artists of his time.

In Italy

The museum of the Vatican has a retable carried out towards 1495/96 by Pérugin. It represents the virgin at the child, Saint Laurent, Saint Louis (called in Italy Ludovic) of Toulouse, Herculanus and Constant. This work included/understood two parts: the ogee moulding representing Christ is with Perugia and this table.

The church of Holy-Cross (Santa Croce) with Florence has a statue of Donatello representing Saint-Louis of Anjou.

The museum of Sansepolcro in Tuscany gathers several oueuvres of Piero della Francesca of which a representation of Saint-Louis of Anjou (San Ludovico di Tolosa). This representation is very interesting because it shows Saint-Louis wearing the dress of the franciscains under its costume of bishop.

In Spain

In this country where he had been hostage and where its relics remain partly, its worship is honoured in Valence in the cathedral where a vault is devoted to him with its relics.

Other countries

In the United Kingdom the main road gallery has a table of Giovanni Antonio Pordenone coming from a ceiling of the school (scuola) of Saint-François and carried out towards 1530/35.

In the U.S.A. the Institute of Art Sterling and Francine Clark in Williamstown, has a splendid retable painted by Ugolino Di Nerio which decorated the furnace bridge with a church. It is composed of 7 portraits with in the center the Virgin Mary, on the left Francois, André, Paul and on the right Pierre, Stéphan, Louis of Toulouse.

Bibliography and sources

Calixte Father, under the pseudonym a citizen of Brignoles, life of Saint Louis, monk about François Saint and bishop of Toulouse , Aubanel, Avignon, 1780,294 pages.
Célestin Hurdy-gurdy, canon of the metropolis of Toulouse, Saint-Louis of Anjou, Bishop of Toulouse, his life its time, its worship . Imptimery franciscaine missionary, Vanves, 1930,500 pages.
Paul de Laget, Saint Louis of Marseilles , On sale at the author, Marseilles, 1948,240 pages.
Emile G.Léonard, angevins of Naples , University Presses of France, Paris, 1954,576 pages.
M.H.Laurent, the worship of Saint Louis from Anjou to Marseilles with the 14esiècle, the documents of Louis Antoine de Ruffi followed by a choice of letters of this scholar , Edizione di storia E will letteratura, Rome, 1954,156 pages.
August 19th: Saint Jean Eudes - Louis saint of Anjou

External references and bonds

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