O God, who didst call thy servant Louis of France to an earthly throne that he might advance thy heavenly kingdom, and didst give him zeal for thy Church and love for thy people: Mercifully grant that we who commemorate him this day may be fruitful in good works, and attain to the glorious crown of thy saints; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
I may stir up a hornets’ nest here, but frankly I don’t see what exemplary value the French medieval king Louis IX has for 21st century Anglicans. Friends, I honestly await enlightenment on this one.
As you will remember, Louis was the 13th century king who permitted the Talmud and rabbinic Judaism literally to be put on trial in Paris in the 1240s. The Talmud was actually “found guilty” of blasphemy and hundreds of Torah scrolls and post-biblical rabbinic texts were burned in Paris. It was a very dangerous time and place to be a Jew.
Then there’s his spectacular defeats as a crusader, when he opened up new military campaigns against Islam in North Africa and Egypt. He was taken prisoner in one crusade and died of tropical disease in another.
He was known for his piety and as a friend of Aquinas and Bonaventure. He built La Sainte Chapelle, the Gothic masterpiece, to house the “crown of thorns” relic. Yet apart from his historic significance, not seeing why we should celebrate him in our churches …
I must say I find it curious that we keep seeing many decidedly non-Anglicans being commemorated. Yet in all of the years I have been following this blog (more than a few) I have never seen the one and only saint canonized by the Church of England honored.
The Royal Martyr Charles I.
I agree with jhp about Louis IX.
#2 AO Charles I had mixed reviews, even among his own supporters. Archbishop Laud apparently summed him up as: “a mild and gracious prince, that knows not how to be, or be made, great.”
As for obscure and dubious French kings, well at least today we can celebrate Monica, mother of Augustine of Hippo, apparently.
As someone who lives in the area named for him, I have never understood the enthusiasm for St. Louis either. The Sainte Chappelle is beautiful but it’s not that great.