St. Joan of France in Art

In Bourges, in [the then Duchy of] Aquitaine, St. Joan of Valois, Queen of France, foundress of the Order of the Most Holy Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. She is famous for her piety and her devotion to the Cross. She was added to the calendar of saints by Pope Pius XII. – Roman Martyrology for February 4

Joan of Valois was the daughter of Louis XI and wife of her cousin Louis XII. The marriage was annulled in 1498, and three years later she founded the Order of the Annunciation. She was canonized in 1950.1

The saint is represented in the painting at right, at Rome's church of San Luigi dei Francesi, and possibly on the right in this stained glass window in Kelheim Cathedral, Germany:
The Virgin and Child with Saints, Church of the Assumption, Kelheim, Germany. See the description page for commentary.

Prepared in 2014 by Richard Stracke, Emeritus Professor of English, Augusta University. Revised 2017-11-29.

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Etienne Parrocel (1696-1775), The The Death of St. Joan of France, oil on canvas, San Luigi dei Francesi, Rome. Photographed at the church by Richard Stracke, shared under Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license.

DATES

  • Feast day: February 4
  • Lived 1464-1505

NAMES

  • Also called St. Joan of France. After the annulment she was styled Duchess of Berry.

BIOGRAPHY

NOTES

1 Butler, I, 252-3.

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