An excerpt, as reported by Mary Lou Gibson, writer for the Parish of Austin, Texas:
King Louis the IX of France is often looked upon as the model Christian king. His family and friends often saw examples of his sanctity. Louis regarded his kingly duties as part of his Christian vocation. The poorest of the French poor were recipients of the king's charity and alms in whatever city or town he happened to be in. Twice a week, money, bread, and leftovers from the royal [dinners] were handed out. He founded a hospital for the destitute and the sight impaired, and established 3 monasteries.
Louis was born at Poissy in 1214, the son of Louis VIII and Blanche of Castile. After his father died, when Louis was 11, Queen Blanche was declared regent and remained the most important influence in Louis' life. He was the 9th sovereign of the Capetian dynasty.
He was 19 when he married Margaret of Provence. They had 11 children, 8 of whom lived to adulthood. Louis became personally involved in their spiritual training and passed on to them his horror of sin.
He assumed his reign as king in 1226 adn ruled for 44 years until his death in 1270. Father Clifford Stevens writes in "The One Year Book of Saints" that King Louis is remembered as a fair, wise, and loving monarch who ruled his people with justice and firmness. He established the crown as the administrator of proper justice especially for the poor and weak.
Louis supported and implemented measures of church reform and founded many ecclesiastical institutions. He built the church of Sainte-Chapelle at Paris as a shrine for what was believed to be the original crown of thorns.
Louis embarked on 2 crusades, but neither one brought him success. His first crusade in 1248 was to Egypt where his forces captured the city of Damietta. But within a year, he was taken prisoner by the Saracens. Tom Cowan writes in "The Way of the Saints" that he was released with a ransom.
He led another crusade in 1270 to deter muslim advances in Syria. When King Louis arrived with his fleet in Sardinia, his army was struck with typhus and he and his son died some time after August 25 in Tunis, Algeria.
Under his reign, France enjoyed prosperity and peace within its borders. Louis was canonized in 127 by Pope Boniface VIII and is the Patron Saint of France. His feast day is August 25.
Statues of Louis the IX in Saint Louis USA and in New Orleans are copied below.
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