Jean de Montmirail (or Monte-Mirabili), Baron de Montmirail, O.S.B. Cist. (1165 – 29 September 1217), was a French nobleman who became a
Cistercian monk. He is venerated as a ''
beatus'' in the
Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
.
Life
John was the son of André de Montmirail, Lord of Montmirail and Ferté-Gaucher, and Hildiarde d'Oisy, daughter of Simon d'Oisy,
Castellan of
Cambrai. He was given a religious upbringing by his mother, and was well educated. He became the first Lord of
Condé.
While young, he embraced a military career and was presented at the Royal Court, as constable of France, where he formed a lasting friendship with
Philip Augustus (who later became King Philip II of France); he became, not only the friend and favorite of the King, but also later his advisor.
On one occasion, John was even said to have saved Philip's life.
The dissipations of court life led him to neglect the training of his youth; even his marriage with Helvide de Dampierre, sister of
Guy II of Dampierre
{{Infobox noble
, name = Guy II of Dampierre
, title = Lord of Dampierre
, image = Coat of arms of the House of Welf-Brunswick (Braunschweig).svg
, caption = The arms borne
, alt = ...
, failed to effect a change. King Philip II later decorated him with the title of Baron.
In his thirtieth year he met Jobert, Prior of
St-Etienne de Montmirail, and experienced a conversion. He built a hospital for the sick of all kinds, but the objects of his
predilection were the
lepers
Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease (HD), is a long-term infection by the bacteria ''Mycobacterium leprae'' or ''Mycobacterium lepromatosis''. Infection can lead to damage of the nerves, respiratory tract, skin, and eyes. This nerve dama ...
, and those hopelessly afflicted. He wore a
hair-shirt, frequently passing entire nights in prayer. After a while, he entered the Cistercian
monastery of Longpont, after having distributed among the poor all his possessions not needed by his wife and family. He was abused for his decision by his former friends. Even members of his own family disapproved of his abandonment of honour and wealth for poverty and subjection.
He died at
Longpont
Longpont () is a commune in the Aisne department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. It is around 13 km southwest of Soissons, and around 75 km northeast of Paris. As at 2018 it has a population of 255. The former Longpont Abbe ...
on 29 September 1217.
Veneration
Miracles were said to be wrought at his tomb, and attracted pilgrims.
By the 1230s, John was being venerated as a miracle-working saint.
Pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII ( it, Leone XIII; born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2 March 1810 – 20 July 1903) was the head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 to his death in July 1903. Living until the age of 93, he was the second-old ...
granted a special office in his honour for the
diocese of Soissons
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Soissons, Laon, and Saint-Quentin (Latin: ''Dioecesis Suessionensis, Laudunensis et Sanquintinensis''; French language, French: ''Diocèse de Soissons, Laon et Saint-Quentin'') is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the R ...
.
He was beatified in 1891.
His feast is celebrated on 29 September.
References
External links
''Catholic Encyclopedia'' article
{{DEFAULTSORT:Montmirail, Jean De
1165 births
1217 deaths
French Cistercians
French beatified people
French untitled nobility