Non Tasarmi, Fratello!

“Wherever the Catholic sun doth shine, There’s always laughter and good red wine. At least I’ve always found it so. Benedicamus Domino!” Hillaire Belloc

Monday, February 04, 2013

Feast of St, Joan of Valois, February 4









What a strange story. The Catholic.org website says she was, " hunch-backed, lame and pock-marked." But the Wikipedia says that she wasn't all that bad.

Let's go back. St. Joan was betrothed to marry her father's second cousin when she was 2 months old and he was between 11-13 years old. Joan's father was King Louis XI. Joan and her husband (Louis, the Duke of Orleans) were eventually married. Meanwhile, Louis XI dies, and Joan's brother Charles became king. When Charles VIII dies, Joan's husband became Louis XII. Since he had the hots for her rbrther's wife (Anne of Brittany). His appeals for an annulment included accusations that Joan was...well, kinda ugly and weird. Pope Alexander VI gave it the OK (for political reasons). Joan became the Duchess of Berry - and was smokin' mad to boot. So she founded the Catholic Franciscan contemplative Order of the Annonciades in 1502.





Oh, and then the Huegenots desecrated her grave.


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