author
Saint Jeanne-Françoise de Chantal
1572–1641
A widowed mother who turned grief into a life of service, she went on to help found the Order of the Visitation with Francis de Sales. Her story is one of resilience, practical charity, and deep spiritual friendship.
1 Audiobook
Selected Letters of Saint Jane Frances de Chantal
by Saint Jeanne-Françoise de Chantal
About the author
Born in Dijon, France, in 1572, Jeanne-Françoise Frémyot de Chantal was raised in a prominent family and later married Christophe de Rabutin, Baron de Chantal. After his death in a hunting accident, she was left to care for their children, and this period of loss became a turning point in her spiritual life.
In 1604 she met Francis de Sales, who became her close friend and spiritual guide. Together they founded the Order of the Visitation of Holy Mary in 1610, a community shaped by humility, prayer, and charity, with special care for women who might not fit the stricter demands of other religious houses.
She spent the rest of her life helping the order grow and became known for her steadiness, compassion, and strong faith through hardship. She died in 1641, and the Church later recognized her as Saint Jane Frances de Chantal.