“The Holy Father has just recognized the holiness of our Carmelites of Compiègne! Great joy for all, for the Catholic Church in Oise and the current Carmelites of Compiègne!” Monsignor Jacques Benoit-Gonnin is very happy to learn of the canonization of the Carmelites of Compiègne by Pope Francis. By this decision, he gave them the status of “saints”.
Pope Pius X beatified them in 1906. Beatification being a preliminary step to canonization. And allowing a person to be called “blessed”.
The Carmelites of Compiègne are sixteen Carmelite nuns. The revolutionary tribunal sentenced them to death and guillotined them on July 17, 1794, accusing them of “fanaticism and sedition.”
Martyrs of the Catholic faith
Condemned during the Terror two years previously, they had vowed to give their lives to “appease the wrath of God”.
Their peaceful death on the scaffold impressed the crowds. Before their death in what is now the Place de la Nation, they renewed their vows and sang religious hymns, including the Veni Creator.
They are martyrs of the Catholic faith. Their sacrifice represents an act of prayer for peace and an end to the Terror.
“A pride for the city”, expresses the mayor
“It’s a source of pride for our city,” enthuses Philippe Marini, mayor of Compiègne. It is with deep emotion that I welcome the decision of Pope Francis to proclaim saints the sixteen Carmelite sisters of Compiègne, martyrs of the faith, guillotined in 1794. These nuns demonstrated remarkable courage and dignity in the face of trials of their time. Their sacrifice, already recognized by their beatification in 1906, today receives universal recognition through their canonization.”
Philippe Marini says he is proud that “Compiègne, the city where these women lived their spiritual commitment to the end, is honored by this recognition.”
This tribute goes beyond our local history, he considers. “It inscribes their memory in the universality of the values of faith, courage and solidarity, recalling their martyrdom on the scaffold.”
The mayor thanks the Holy Father for this act “which honors the memory of the Carmelites of Compiègne and gives our city a significant place in the history of the Church”.
The Carmel of Compiègne is now in Jonquières
Their celebration takes place on July 17. The revolutionaries destroyed the Carmelite house in Compiègne after their arrest. Relics of the martyrs exist today. The Carmel of Compiègne, more precisely in Jonquières, rebuilt in the 19th century, preserves some of them.
The Carmel of Jonquières has become the main place of memory associated with the Carmelites of Compiègne. The current convent of Compiègne perpetuates this memory.
Michel Guinot, RN deputy, welcomes this decision. “The Carmelites of Compiègne, canonized by Pope Francis, were the expiatory victims of revolutionary violence. They were killed out of hatred of religion on July 17, 1794 in Paris.”
In Paris, a commemorative plaque is present on the site of the former Place du Trône-Renversé. The current Place de la Nation is the place of their execution.
Their bodies were buried in the Picpus cemetery in a common grave. They are still in the nuns’ garden.
Carmel of Compiègne38 rue de Varanval, 60680 Jonquières. The Carmel Chapel opens every day from 6:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. It offers visitors the opportunity to participate in the silent or liturgical prayer of the community.
For any correspondence or visit, contact the monastery. Tel: 03.44.37.01.00