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The saints

St. Louis of France

A king who fed the poor at his own table, built the Sainte-Chapelle, and died on crusade.

Feast: 25 August · 1214 to 1270 · The Middle Ages · Paris, and the Crusades

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Medieval manuscript painting of St. Louis enthroned with a crown and scepter on a gold background.

AnonymousUnknown author. Wikimedia Commons, Public domain.

Home / The saints / St. Louis of France

Paris, the 13th century

Louis became king of France at twelve, and his mother, Blanche, raised him to fear sin more than death.1

He was a just king, fair in judgment and generous to the poor.1

He fed poor people at his own table and served them himself.

Patron of France (traditionally)1; barbers1; the Secular Franciscans1

01St. Louis of France

The crown of thorns

He built the Sainte-Chapelle in Paris to house what was venerated as Christ’s crown of thorns.1

He led two crusades, was captured on the first, and died of disease on the second.1

Live it this week

Serve a meal with your own hands

Louis served the poor at his own table. This week, help serve a meal at a shelter or parish dinner, and talk with the people you serve.

Notes

How we know · 1 source for this page
  1. Franciscan Media, Saint of the Day: “Saint Louis of France”. franciscanmedia.org. franciscanmedia.org

The Catholic Encyclopedia (1913) is in the public domain; we quote the New Advent edition. Texts of the Holy See are quoted briefly from vatican.va. Scripture: World English Bible, Catholic edition (public domain); Verse numbers are modern, with Douay-Rheims numbers in brackets where they differ. Photographs: Wikimedia Commons, credited under each image; full list on the photo credits page.

Lines in the narrator’s voice, without a note, are our reflection, not a historical claim. Stone & Incense restates Church teaching in plain words; our wording is not an official Church text. Report an errorCorrections.