At the Sources of the Visitation. Francis de Sales and Jeanne de Chantal.
Somogy| N° d'inventaire | 20123 |
| Format | 24.5 x 28 |
| Détails | 208 p., color ill., paperback with flaps. |
| Publication | Paris, 2016 |
| Etat | Nine |
| ISBN | 9782757210567 |
This book is the result of a long work among the writings, the numerous biographies and works devoted either to Saint Francis de Sales or to Saint Jeanne-Françoise de Chantal. The authors of this book wanted to innovate on two points: on the one hand to deal with the life of these two characters in a single book, highlighting their crossed destinies which gave birth to the Order of the Visitation. On the other hand, to show that before being canonized they shared each other's daily life, immersed in their time, confronted with the same joys or the same difficulties as all those around them... They are a man and a woman of their time, of their society and of their world, but with these few nuances which make extraordinary lives which could have been simple and ordinary. The aim is to introduce the reader to the lives of these two personalities by sharing their daily lives, through the testimonies of those who met them, through significant events and historical anecdotes, but also from the objects that belonged to them. These objects, these treasures attest to and tell the story of their existence, between the ease of the social environment in which they were born and the detachment from material things that they chose. Thus, the memories of their daily lives are revealed, even if they are rare. A glimpse of their spiritual life is given to us thanks to their books, the supports of their daily prayers, thanks also to the simplicity, not to say poverty, of the wardrobe of the Baroness de Chantal who became a nun. The research carried out has also allowed us to rediscover the attraction of Francis and Joan for art, mainly in the service of worship, with the embroideries executed by the foundress with the help of her sisters, and the works they acquired from the goldsmiths or bookbinders of the time to perfect the divine worship that was so dear to them. Finally, the Church having granted them the honors of the altars, a rich iconography developed over the centuries to illustrate the scenes of their lives, very present in this work. To these objects, to these works is added the weight of their history and their peregrinations. Preserved preciously by families, sometimes offered and passed from hand to hand, like Francis's watch-clock, or "stolen without Joan's knowledge by her own daughters of the Visitation who wanted to have relics, these moving objects bring these beings much closer to us. Although their paths were neither easy nor peaceful, their lives were nevertheless completely fulfilled because they were perfectly committed and, consequently, full of joy, of that higher joy to which the saints invite us.
This book is the result of a long work among the writings, the numerous biographies and works devoted either to Saint Francis de Sales or to Saint Jeanne-Françoise de Chantal. The authors of this book wanted to innovate on two points: on the one hand to deal with the life of these two characters in a single book, highlighting their crossed destinies which gave birth to the Order of the Visitation. On the other hand, to show that before being canonized they shared each other's daily life, immersed in their time, confronted with the same joys or the same difficulties as all those around them... They are a man and a woman of their time, of their society and of their world, but with these few nuances which make extraordinary lives which could have been simple and ordinary. The aim is to introduce the reader to the lives of these two personalities by sharing their daily lives, through the testimonies of those who met them, through significant events and historical anecdotes, but also from the objects that belonged to them. These objects, these treasures attest to and tell the story of their existence, between the ease of the social environment in which they were born and the detachment from material things that they chose. Thus, the memories of their daily lives are revealed, even if they are rare. A glimpse of their spiritual life is given to us thanks to their books, the supports of their daily prayers, thanks also to the simplicity, not to say poverty, of the wardrobe of the Baroness de Chantal who became a nun. The research carried out has also allowed us to rediscover the attraction of Francis and Joan for art, mainly in the service of worship, with the embroideries executed by the foundress with the help of her sisters, and the works they acquired from the goldsmiths or bookbinders of the time to perfect the divine worship that was so dear to them. Finally, the Church having granted them the honors of the altars, a rich iconography developed over the centuries to illustrate the scenes of their lives, very present in this work. To these objects, to these works is added the weight of their history and their peregrinations. Preserved preciously by families, sometimes offered and passed from hand to hand, like Francis's watch-clock, or "stolen without Joan's knowledge by her own daughters of the Visitation who wanted to have relics, these moving objects bring these beings much closer to us. Although their paths were neither easy nor peaceful, their lives were nevertheless completely fulfilled because they were perfectly committed and, consequently, full of joy, of that higher joy to which the saints invite us.