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Description
St. Louis of France icon
© Cecilia Lawrence
August 31st 2016
4.5 x 6 inches
Ink, watercolor, gold leaf

“He did what was pleasing in the sight of the Lord;
among all kings none could compare with him.
He was loyal to the Lord and never turned away from Him.
The Lord was with him,
because he kept His commandments.”
- Responsory for the Feast of St. Louis

“No fierce oppressor—no mere sceptered thing
wore now the purple. France beheld a king
in court, in camp, in council, and in chains,
humble yet firm; not widening his domains
by lawless force; not urging precedent
to hold a wrested fief; with vile intent
to self-aggrandizement, not stirring strife
or fanning barons’ feuds. Love ruled his life.”
from Saint Louis by Cecil Moore

“And on his breast a bloody cross he bore,
the dear remembrance of his dying Lord,
for whose sweet sake that glorious badge he wore,
and dead as living ever Him adored.”
- from The Faerie Queene by Edmund Spenser

“Where shall the Holy Cross find rest?
On a crowned monarch’s mailed breast,
like some bright angel o’er the darkling scene
through court and camp he holds his heavenward course serene.”
- from The Christian Year by John Keble

This is my icon of that saint and beloved French king, the great Saint Louis of France! As a lover of both medieval history (especially crusader history!) and the Catholic Faith, I have a great love for St. Louis who was both a great king and a great crusader. I based my image of him off of a contemporary depiction found in the St. Louis Bible . For his crown, I also referenced the crown on the effigy of his grandson Philip IV located in the Cathedral of Saint-Denis outside of Paris. St. Louis is dressed in the garb of a French king, with a richly patterned red surcoat over his maille hauberk (signifying him as a knight and soldier and defender of the realm), under which he is wearing a purple shirt, signaling his kingly royalty. His holds a kingly scepter in his right hand, and in his left he holds the precious relic of the Crown of Thorns in the folds of his golden fleur-de-lis-strewn cloak. In the crook of his left arm he also holds a sword, with a Jerusalem cross, symbolizing his crusader vow to liberate the Holy Sepulchre in the Holy Land. St. Louis is often depicted with the Crown of Thorns because he managed to obtain the relic from Baldwin II, the Latin Emperor of Constantinople, and for which he built the stunning Sainte-Chapelle in the heart of Paris to house it along with other priceless relics of the Lord’s Passion. But St. Louis’ love and veneration for the Crown of Thorns is also a profound symbol of how he preferred the humble way of the cross to the glories and splendors of a merely earthly kingdom. In all things, he was truly “Rex Christianissimus” (“the Most Christian King”).

:+: A BRIEF BIOGRAPHY OF THE SAINT :+:

Saint Louis of France (April 25th 1214 – August 25th 1270 A.D.), also known as Louis IX of France was born on April 25th 1214 at Poissy, about fourteen miles from Paris. His father was Louis VIII (then Prince Louis the Lion) and his mother was Blanche of Castile. He was the fifth of the thirteen children born to the royal couple and his mother ensured that he and his other siblings received the finest education. Blanche was personally interested in seeing that her children were taught by the best tutors but she also personally looked after their religious education. She herself was a very devout woman and instilled in her children a great love of God and a great love for His Church. She often said to him, “I love you, my dear son, as much as a mother can love her child; but I would rather see you dead at my feet than that you should ever commit a mortal sin.” She instilled in her children a love for justice and a hatred for sin, especially for mortal sin. In addition to his religious education, Louis was taught reading, writing, Latin, the use of arms, horsemanship, the arts of war and government.

His grandfather, King Philip II, died in 1223 when Louis was only nine years old. His father Louis was crowned King Louis VIII at Reims in the same year. However, he fell ill soon afterwards on his way back to Paris and died after reigning as king for only three years. At the age of twelve, the young Louis ascended to the throne as King Louis IX of France on November 8th 1226. As he was still very young, his mother Queen Blanche acted as his regent and steered the country through a number of difficulties. She won over the French nobles to recognize her son’s coronation, put down the rebellions of those who did not, fought off the multiple incursions of Henry III of England, and signed the Treaty of Paris that ended the Albigensian Crusade and brought peace to southern France. When Louis reached his majority at the age of twenty he was very much indebted to his mother for keeping the realm intact for him; she remained one of his most trusted and valued advisors until her death.

On May 27th 1234 at the Cathedral in Sens, King Louis married Margaret of Provence, the daughter of the powerful Count Ramon Berenguer of Provence. She had a reputation for beauty as well as for her great religious devotion and fine courtly manners. She and Louis were very devoted to each other and enjoyed each other’s company while listening to music, reading and taking rides in the countryside. Blanche became jealous of the new Queen, and tried to keep her apart from her son as much as possible, which greatly strained her relations with her daughter-in-law. Despite the marital interference of her mother-in-law, Margaret and Louis would go on to have eleven children, including six boys and five girls over the course of thirty-six years of marriage.

Louis proved to be a just, wise, and able king, and quickly gained a reputation for goodness and piety. During his reign the kingdom of France enjoyed a political, economic and cultural prestige within Europe and Louis himself was often asked to arbitrate disputes between kings. France was blessed with a veritable golden age in which flowered great public projects, including the spread of Gothic art and architecture, the building of Sainte-Chapelle, the foundations of universities (such as the college of Sorbonne for theological studies) and hospitals, and the building of abbeys and churches across the country. He was a firm but just ruler, and while he avoided wars with his neighbors at much as possible, he was not afraid to use force when necessary to ensure that the rights of his people were not infringed upon. In all things, he sought to live up to France’s reputation as “the eldest daughter of the Church” and to be deserving of the title as “Rex Christianissimus” (“Most Christian King”).

Louis was also renowned as being a father to his people. He had an especial love for the poor and was well-known for his personal charity. Every day, he personally invited thirteen poor people to eat with him at his table, and fed hundreds more every day. During the penitential seasons of Advent and Lent, he made sure that everyone who came to his palace gates were fed. He also personally served beggars and lepers who came to him by washing their feet and ministering to their needs. For this reason, he is seen as the patron saint of secular (Third Order) Franciscans. Louis also founded hospitals at Pontoise, Vernon, Compiégne, and one at Quinze-Vingt specifically to serve the blind. He also founded a House of Filles-Dieu (“Daughters of God”) for former prostitutes.

In his personal piety, he performed acts of penance frequently, wore a hair shirt, and got up often during the night to pray. During cold nights when he got up from bed during these nightly vigils, his wife Margaret would often get out of bed to pray with him and wrap his shoulders in a warm mantle. In 1240, Louis obtained the relics of the Crown of Thorns, along with fragments of the True Cross and other precious relics of the Lord’s Passion from Baldwin II the Latin Emperor of Constantinople and brought them to Paris. He built the magnificent Sainte-Chapelle as his own personal chapel in the heart of Paris to house the relics.

When the Khwarezmians captured Jerusalem in 1244, Pope Innocent IV called for a Crusade to rescue the Holy City from Muslim hands. France was stable and at peace for the most part, and Louis decided that as a good Christian he must take the cross. For three years he collected money and troops for the large expedition. By 1248, he had a large fleet of thirty-six ships and an army comprised of 15,000 men, including 3,000 knights and 5,000 crossbowmen. Queen Blanche was left in France to act as regent. They set sail and landed in Cyprus, wintering there, while Louis negotiated with envoys from the Latin Empire in Constantinople, the templars, and the Principality of Antioch, who all sought his help. However, Louis decided that is he captured Egypt, it would prove to be an effective base from which to gather supplies and send needful aid to the Holy Land. In 1249 he landed at Damietta and took the city on June 6th. The annual Nile floods kept the army in the city, and so Louis was not able to make the most of his invasion. By November, Louis marched onwards to take Cairo, but in the meantime the Sultan of Egypt died. While Louis and the army marched on Cairo, his brother Robert of Artois launched a daring surprise attack against the Muslim camp near Al-Mansurah. The Muslims were routed and fled toward the city, while the Mamluk leader Baybars ordered the gates of the city to be opened. Robert of Artois and his men rushed into the city, thinking it deserted, but soon them were quickly surrounded and cut down. Only a few Templars and other knights escaped and made it back to the camp.

The crusaders quickly dug a ditch and built a wall around the camp, but the Muslim navy blocked their supply ships and captured many of them. With their supply line destroyed, famine broke out in the Christian camps and men began to starve. Louis tried to open negotiations with the Muslims, offering to exchange Damietta for Jerusalem, but his offers were refused. Louis ordered his army to retreat to Damietta on April 5th 1250, but the next day the Muslim army caught up with them and after the Battle of Fariskur, the Crusader army was shattered and the king himself was captured. While in captivity, Louis conducted himself with such dignity that even the guards who shouted abuse and insults at him were amazed. While his ransom was being negotiated, the Sultan of Egypt, Turanshah, was brutally murdered by the Mamluks and their leader Baybars. Soon thereafter, Louis was ransomed for 400,000 livre tournois and the city of Damietta was returned to the Muslims as part of the agreement. Louis, however, managed to obtain the release of 12,000 of his soldiers in the bargain. Afterwards, he left Egypt and marched to the Holy Land and spent the next four years there, using the money he had left to help repair the walls and defenses of various cities still in Christian hands and strengthening their garrisons. During this time Louis tried to form an alliance with the Mongols, who had earlier approached him about a joint attack against their Muslim enemies. However Güyük Khan died before the French emissary arrived and no joint military action was possible. After doing what he could for the Christians still living in the Holy Land, news reached him that his mother Blanche has died, so in 1254 he departed for France.

On his return to France, he continued governing his people with justice and serving the poor with mercy. He was known for holding court and legal disputes under a large oak in the forest of Vincennes. There he became famous for his readiness to hear the case of any of his subjects who came to him with their grievances. He replaced outmoded trials by combat with more just methods of due process and presentation of testimonies by witnesses. So renowned was he for his justice, that in later days, when the French people complained of oppression, they pointed to the days of St. Louis when justice was meted out fairly. So eager was he for peace, that Louis signed the Peace of Paris in 1258 with Henry III of England, giving up valuable concessions for the sake of furthering peace with England.

In the 1260s, the Mamluk commander Baybars had overrun the Holy Land with his soldiers and caused great alarm for the holy places throughout Christendom. Louis, determined to defend the Holy Land to his last breath, again took the cross on March 24th 1267. Initially he had planned to sail for Cyprus, but when he heard that the Caliph of Tunis was interested in converting to Christianity if only he had military support, Louis decided to sail for Tunis, and use that as his base of operations. Accordingly, Louis set out for Tunis on July 1st 1270. They landed at Tunis on the 18th, and built a camp at Carthage. Soon, however, pestilence broke out in the camp because the atrocious summer heat and many of the men were afflicted with dysentery. Louis’ son Jean Tristan died on August 3rd, and his other sons who accompanied him also fell ill. Louis likewise also fell sick, and was bedridden. He called his sons to him and wrote out a spiritual testament to them and gave them instructions as to how to rule the kingdom and how to conduct themselves during their lives. Afterwards, he quickly grew worse, and he asked for the last sacraments. As he died, he called on the saints of France to pray for him, and told his followers to lay him down on a bed of ashes. He crossed his hands over his breast, looked up to heaven, and so died on August 25th 1270, at the age of fifty-six.

His son Philip succeeded him as king, and his bones was brought back to France for burial at the royal necropolis of Saint-Denis. Louis’ brother Charles of Naples brought the king’s heart and intestines to the Cathedral of Monreale near Palermo. His fame for his goodness and piety and as the ideal of a perfect Christian king moved the pope to launch an investigation into his life, and he was soon afterwards declared to be a saint.

St. Louis of France was canonized by Pope Boniface VIII on July 11th 1297. Jean de Joinville, a knight who was one of St. Louis’ close companions and friends, later wrote of him: “It is a pious and fitting thing to weep for the passing of this saintly prince, who maintained his kingdom in so honest a manner and who gave such generous alms and instituted so many fine ordinances there. Just as the scribe who has made a book illuminates it with gold and azure, this king illuminated his kingdom with the beautiful abbeys he built there, and the great number of hospitals and houses of Dominicans and Franciscans and other religious that have already been mentioned…Let us pray that this saintly king might plead with God to give us that which we need for the good of our bodies and souls. Amen.”

My dearest son, my first instruction is that you should love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your strength. Without this there is no salvation. Keep yourself, my son, from everything that you know displeases God, that is to say, from every mortal sin. You should permit yourself to be tormented by every kind of martyrdom before you would allow yourself to commit a mortal sin.

If the Lord has permitted you to have some trial, bear it willingly and with gratitude, considering that it has happened for your good and that perhaps you well deserved it. If the Lord bestows upon you any kind of prosperity, thank him humbly and see that you become no worse for it, either through vain pride or anything else, because you ought not to oppose God or offend him in the matter of his gifts.

Listen to the divine office with pleasure and devotion. As long as you are in church, be careful not to let your eyes wander and not to speak empty words, but pray to the Lord devoutly, either aloud or with the interior prayer of the heart.

Be kindhearted to the poor, the unfortunate and the afflicted. Give them as much help and consolation as you can. Thank God for all the benefits he has bestowed upon you, that you may be worthy to receive greater. Be just to your subjects, swaying neither to right nor left, but holding the line of justice. Always side with the poor rather that with the rich, until you are certain of the truth. See that all your subjects live in justice and peace, but especially those who have ecclesiastical rank and who belong to religious orders.

Be devout and obedient to our mother the Church of Rome and the Supreme Pontiff as your spiritual father. Work to remove all sin from your land, particularly blasphemies and heresies.

In conclusion, dearest son, I give you every blessing that a loving father can give a son. May the three Persons of the Holy Trinity and all the saints protect you from every evil. And may the Lord give you the grace to do his will so that he may be served and honored through you, that in the next life we may together come to see him, love him and praise him unceasingly. Amen.
- from a spiritual testament to his son Philip by St. Louis

The Feast of St. Louis of France is celebrated on August 25th.

St. Louis of France is a patron saint of kings, of France, the French monarchy, Third Order Franciscans, and of the numerous cities named in his honor.

O God, who brought Saint Louis
from the cares of earthly rule
to the glory of a heavenly realm,
grant, we pray, through his intercession,
that, by fulfilling our duties on earth,
we may seek out your eternal Kingdom.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Description
St. Louis of France icon
© Cecilia Lawrence
August 31st 2016
4.5 x 6 inches
Ink, watercolor, gold leaf

“He did what was pleasing in the sight of the Lord;
among all kings none could compare with him.
He was loyal to the Lord and never turned away from Him.
The Lord was with him,
because he kept His commandments.”
- Responsory for the Feast of St. Louis

“No fierce oppressor—no mere sceptered thing
wore now the purple. France beheld a king
in court, in camp, in council, and in chains,
humble yet firm; not widening his domains
by lawless force; not urging precedent
to hold a wrested fief; with vile intent
to self-aggrandizement, not stirring strife
or fanning barons’ feuds. Love ruled his life.”
from Saint Louis by Cecil Moore

“And on his breast a bloody cross he bore,
the dear remembrance of his dying Lord,
for whose sweet sake that glorious badge he wore,
and dead as living ever Him adored.”
- from The Faerie Queene by Edmund Spenser

“Where shall the Holy Cross find rest?
On a crowned monarch’s mailed breast,
like some bright angel o’er the darkling scene
through court and camp he holds his heavenward course serene.”
- from The Christian Year by John Keble

This is my icon of that saint and beloved French king, the great Saint Louis of France! As a lover of both medieval history (especially crusader history!) and the Catholic Faith, I have a great love for St. Louis who was both a great king and a great crusader. I based my image of him off of a contemporary depiction found in the St. Louis Bible . For his crown, I also referenced the crown on the effigy of his grandson Philip IV located in the Cathedral of Saint-Denis outside of Paris. St. Louis is dressed in the garb of a French king, with a richly patterned red surcoat over his maille hauberk (signifying him as a knight and soldier and defender of the realm), under which he is wearing a purple shirt, signaling his kingly royalty. His holds a kingly scepter in his right hand, and in his left he holds the precious relic of the Crown of Thorns in the folds of his golden fleur-de-lis-strewn cloak. In the crook of his left arm he also holds a sword, with a Jerusalem cross, symbolizing his crusader vow to liberate the Holy Sepulchre in the Holy Land. St. Louis is often depicted with the Crown of Thorns because he managed to obtain the relic from Baldwin II, the Latin Emperor of Constantinople, and for which he built the stunning Sainte-Chapelle in the heart of Paris to house it along with other priceless relics of the Lord’s Passion. But St. Louis’ love and veneration for the Crown of Thorns is also a profound symbol of how he preferred the humble way of the cross to the glories and splendors of a merely earthly kingdom. In all things, he was truly “Rex Christianissimus” (“the Most Christian King”).

:+: A BRIEF BIOGRAPHY OF THE SAINT :+:

Saint Louis of France (April 25th 1214 – August 25th 1270 A.D.), also known as Louis IX of France was born on April 25th 1214 at Poissy, about fourteen miles from Paris. His father was Louis VIII (then Prince Louis the Lion) and his mother was Blanche of Castile. He was the fifth of the thirteen children born to the royal couple and his mother ensured that he and his other siblings received the finest education. Blanche was personally interested in seeing that her children were taught by the best tutors but she also personally looked after their religious education. She herself was a very devout woman and instilled in her children a great love of God and a great love for His Church. She often said to him, “I love you, my dear son, as much as a mother can love her child; but I would rather see you dead at my feet than that you should ever commit a mortal sin.” She instilled in her children a love for justice and a hatred for sin, especially for mortal sin. In addition to his religious education, Louis was taught reading, writing, Latin, the use of arms, horsemanship, the arts of war and government.

His grandfather, King Philip II, died in 1223 when Louis was only nine years old. His father Louis was crowned King Louis VIII at Reims in the same year. However, he fell ill soon afterwards on his way back to Paris and died after reigning as king for only three years. At the age of twelve, the young Louis ascended to the throne as King Louis IX of France on November 8th 1226. As he was still very young, his mother Queen Blanche acted as his regent and steered the country through a number of difficulties. She won over the French nobles to recognize her son’s coronation, put down the rebellions of those who did not, fought off the multiple incursions of Henry III of England, and signed the Treaty of Paris that ended the Albigensian Crusade and brought peace to southern France. When Louis reached his majority at the age of twenty he was very much indebted to his mother for keeping the realm intact for him; she remained one of his most trusted and valued advisors until her death.

On May 27th 1234 at the Cathedral in Sens, King Louis married Margaret of Provence, the daughter of the powerful Count Ramon Berenguer of Provence. She had a reputation for beauty as well as for her great religious devotion and fine courtly manners. She and Louis were very devoted to each other and enjoyed each other’s company while listening to music, reading and taking rides in the countryside. Blanche became jealous of the new Queen, and tried to keep her apart from her son as much as possible, which greatly strained her relations with her daughter-in-law. Despite the marital interference of her mother-in-law, Margaret and Louis would go on to have eleven children, including six boys and five girls over the course of thirty-six years of marriage.

Louis proved to be a just, wise, and able king, and quickly gained a reputation for goodness and piety. During his reign the kingdom of France enjoyed a political, economic and cultural prestige within Europe and Louis himself was often asked to arbitrate disputes between kings. France was blessed with a veritable golden age in which flowered great public projects, including the spread of Gothic art and architecture, the building of Sainte-Chapelle, the foundations of universities (such as the college of Sorbonne for theological studies) and hospitals, and the building of abbeys and churches across the country. He was a firm but just ruler, and while he avoided wars with his neighbors at much as possible, he was not afraid to use force when necessary to ensure that the rights of his people were not infringed upon. In all things, he sought to live up to France’s reputation as “the eldest daughter of the Church” and to be deserving of the title as “Rex Christianissimus” (“Most Christian King”).

Louis was also renowned as being a father to his people. He had an especial love for the poor and was well-known for his personal charity. Every day, he personally invited thirteen poor people to eat with him at his table, and fed hundreds more every day. During the penitential seasons of Advent and Lent, he made sure that everyone who came to his palace gates were fed. He also personally served beggars and lepers who came to him by washing their feet and ministering to their needs. For this reason, he is seen as the patron saint of secular (Third Order) Franciscans. Louis also founded hospitals at Pontoise, Vernon, Compiégne, and one at Quinze-Vingt specifically to serve the blind. He also founded a House of Filles-Dieu (“Daughters of God”) for former prostitutes.

In his personal piety, he performed acts of penance frequently, wore a hair shirt, and got up often during the night to pray. During cold nights when he got up from bed during these nightly vigils, his wife Margaret would often get out of bed to pray with him and wrap his shoulders in a warm mantle. In 1240, Louis obtained the relics of the Crown of Thorns, along with fragments of the True Cross and other precious relics of the Lord’s Passion from Baldwin II the Latin Emperor of Constantinople and brought them to Paris. He built the magnificent Sainte-Chapelle as his own personal chapel in the heart of Paris to house the relics.

When the Khwarezmians captured Jerusalem in 1244, Pope Innocent IV called for a Crusade to rescue the Holy City from Muslim hands. France was stable and at peace for the most part, and Louis decided that as a good Christian he must take the cross. For three years he collected money and troops for the large expedition. By 1248, he had a large fleet of thirty-six ships and an army comprised of 15,000 men, including 3,000 knights and 5,000 crossbowmen. Queen Blanche was left in France to act as regent. They set sail and landed in Cyprus, wintering there, while Louis negotiated with envoys from the Latin Empire in Constantinople, the templars, and the Principality of Antioch, who all sought his help. However, Louis decided that is he captured Egypt, it would prove to be an effective base from which to gather supplies and send needful aid to the Holy Land. In 1249 he landed at Damietta and took the city on June 6th. The annual Nile floods kept the army in the city, and so Louis was not able to make the most of his invasion. By November, Louis marched onwards to take Cairo, but in the meantime the Sultan of Egypt died. While Louis and the army marched on Cairo, his brother Robert of Artois launched a daring surprise attack against the Muslim camp near Al-Mansurah. The Muslims were routed and fled toward the city, while the Mamluk leader Baybars ordered the gates of the city to be opened. Robert of Artois and his men rushed into the city, thinking it deserted, but soon them were quickly surrounded and cut down. Only a few Templars and other knights escaped and made it back to the camp.

The crusaders quickly dug a ditch and built a wall around the camp, but the Muslim navy blocked their supply ships and captured many of them. With their supply line destroyed, famine broke out in the Christian camps and men began to starve. Louis tried to open negotiations with the Muslims, offering to exchange Damietta for Jerusalem, but his offers were refused. Louis ordered his army to retreat to Damietta on April 5th 1250, but the next day the Muslim army caught up with them and after the Battle of Fariskur, the Crusader army was shattered and the king himself was captured. While in captivity, Louis conducted himself with such dignity that even the guards who shouted abuse and insults at him were amazed. While his ransom was being negotiated, the Sultan of Egypt, Turanshah, was brutally murdered by the Mamluks and their leader Baybars. Soon thereafter, Louis was ransomed for 400,000 livre tournois and the city of Damietta was returned to the Muslims as part of the agreement. Louis, however, managed to obtain the release of 12,000 of his soldiers in the bargain. Afterwards, he left Egypt and marched to the Holy Land and spent the next four years there, using the money he had left to help repair the walls and defenses of various cities still in Christian hands and strengthening their garrisons. During this time Louis tried to form an alliance with the Mongols, who had earlier approached him about a joint attack against their Muslim enemies. However Güyük Khan died before the French emissary arrived and no joint military action was possible. After doing what he could for the Christians still living in the Holy Land, news reached him that his mother Blanche has died, so in 1254 he departed for France.

On his return to France, he continued governing his people with justice and serving the poor with mercy. He was known for holding court and legal disputes under a large oak in the forest of Vincennes. There he became famous for his readiness to hear the case of any of his subjects who came to him with their grievances. He replaced outmoded trials by combat with more just methods of due process and presentation of testimonies by witnesses. So renowned was he for his justice, that in later days, when the French people complained of oppression, they pointed to the days of St. Louis when justice was meted out fairly. So eager was he for peace, that Louis signed the Peace of Paris in 1258 with Henry III of England, giving up valuable concessions for the sake of furthering peace with England.

In the 1260s, the Mamluk commander Baybars had overrun the Holy Land with his soldiers and caused great alarm for the holy places throughout Christendom. Louis, determined to defend the Holy Land to his last breath, again took the cross on March 24th 1267. Initially he had planned to sail for Cyprus, but when he heard that the Caliph of Tunis was interested in converting to Christianity if only he had military support, Louis decided to sail for Tunis, and use that as his base of operations. Accordingly, Louis set out for Tunis on July 1st 1270. They landed at Tunis on the 18th, and built a camp at Carthage. Soon, however, pestilence broke out in the camp because the atrocious summer heat and many of the men were afflicted with dysentery. Louis’ son Jean Tristan died on August 3rd, and his other sons who accompanied him also fell ill. Louis likewise also fell sick, and was bedridden. He called his sons to him and wrote out a spiritual testament to them and gave them instructions as to how to rule the kingdom and how to conduct themselves during their lives. Afterwards, he quickly grew worse, and he asked for the last sacraments. As he died, he called on the saints of France to pray for him, and told his followers to lay him down on a bed of ashes. He crossed his hands over his breast, looked up to heaven, and so died on August 25th 1270, at the age of fifty-six.

His son Philip succeeded him as king, and his bones was brought back to France for burial at the royal necropolis of Saint-Denis. Louis’ brother Charles of Naples brought the king’s heart and intestines to the Cathedral of Monreale near Palermo. His fame for his goodness and piety and as the ideal of a perfect Christian king moved the pope to launch an investigation into his life, and he was soon afterwards declared to be a saint.

St. Louis of France was canonized by Pope Boniface VIII on July 11th 1297. Jean de Joinville, a knight who was one of St. Louis’ close companions and friends, later wrote of him: “It is a pious and fitting thing to weep for the passing of this saintly prince, who maintained his kingdom in so honest a manner and who gave such generous alms and instituted so many fine ordinances there. Just as the scribe who has made a book illuminates it with gold and azure, this king illuminated his kingdom with the beautiful abbeys he built there, and the great number of hospitals and houses of Dominicans and Franciscans and other religious that have already been mentioned…Let us pray that this saintly king might plead with God to give us that which we need for the good of our bodies and souls. Amen.”

My dearest son, my first instruction is that you should love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your strength. Without this there is no salvation. Keep yourself, my son, from everything that you know displeases God, that is to say, from every mortal sin. You should permit yourself to be tormented by every kind of martyrdom before you would allow yourself to commit a mortal sin.

If the Lord has permitted you to have some trial, bear it willingly and with gratitude, considering that it has happened for your good and that perhaps you well deserved it. If the Lord bestows upon you any kind of prosperity, thank him humbly and see that you become no worse for it, either through vain pride or anything else, because you ought not to oppose God or offend him in the matter of his gifts.

Listen to the divine office with pleasure and devotion. As long as you are in church, be careful not to let your eyes wander and not to speak empty words, but pray to the Lord devoutly, either aloud or with the interior prayer of the heart.

Be kindhearted to the poor, the unfortunate and the afflicted. Give them as much help and consolation as you can. Thank God for all the benefits he has bestowed upon you, that you may be worthy to receive greater. Be just to your subjects, swaying neither to right nor left, but holding the line of justice. Always side with the poor rather that with the rich, until you are certain of the truth. See that all your subjects live in justice and peace, but especially those who have ecclesiastical rank and who belong to religious orders.

Be devout and obedient to our mother the Church of Rome and the Supreme Pontiff as your spiritual father. Work to remove all sin from your land, particularly blasphemies and heresies.

In conclusion, dearest son, I give you every blessing that a loving father can give a son. May the three Persons of the Holy Trinity and all the saints protect you from every evil. And may the Lord give you the grace to do his will so that he may be served and honored through you, that in the next life we may together come to see him, love him and praise him unceasingly. Amen.
- from a spiritual testament to his son Philip by St. Louis

The Feast of St. Louis of France is celebrated on August 25th.

St. Louis of France is a patron saint of kings, of France, the French monarchy, Third Order Franciscans, and of the numerous cities named in his honor.

O God, who brought Saint Louis
from the cares of earthly rule
to the glory of a heavenly realm,
grant, we pray, through his intercession,
that, by fulfilling our duties on earth,
we may seek out your eternal Kingdom.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.