Esclarmonde of Foix
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| Esclarmonde de Foix | |
|---|---|
 Esclarmonde de Foix was largely responsible for rebuilding the fortress of Montségur.
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| Born | after 1151 France |
| Died | 1215 France |
| Occupation | Cathar Perfect |
| Spouse | Jordan of the Isle-Jordan |
| Parents | Roger-Bernard I of Foix and Cecile Trevencal. |
Esclarmonde de Foix, (born after 1151 - died 1215), also called Esclarmonde the Great, was a prominent figure in Catharism in thirteenth century France.
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[edit] Life
She was the daughter of Roger Bernard I, Count of Foix, and of Cecile Trevencal. The name Esclarmonde means "Light of the World" in the Occitan language. She was a sister of Raymond-Roger de Foix, Count of Foix. She married Jordan of the Isle-Jordan, lord of the Isle-Jordan. They had several children, among them Bernard, Guillamette, Olive, Othon de Terride, and Bertrand, Baron de Launac.
She was widowed in 1200 and, sometime therafter, turned to the Cathar Church. She received the Cathar sacrament the consolamentum, for becoming a Parfaite, or member of the Cathar Elect, at the hands of the Cathar bishop Guilhabert de Castres in 1204 in Fanjeaux with three other women of high rank, Aude de Fanjeaux, Fays de Durfort, and Raymonde of Saint-Germain. The ceremony was conducted in the presence of her brother, Raymond-Roger de Foix, Count of Foix.
She settled in Pamiers and was likely involved in the initiative to rebuild the fortress of Montségur. She belonged to the conference of Parmiers, also called the "conference of Montreal" in 1207. It was the last debate between the Cathars and the Roman Catholic Church, represented by Dominic Guzman. The following year Pope Innocent III launched the Albigensian Crusade against the Cathars.
Esclarmonde de Foix also was responsible for the establishment of schools for girls and for hospitals in the region. She and her sister-in-law Philippa ran a House for Parfaites at Dun in the Pyrenees Mountains, which functioned as a home for aged Parfaits and a girls' school." [1]
[edit] Legacy
Today Esclarmonde de Foix is a saint of at least one modern Gnostic Church. The Gnostic Church of Mary Magdalene and the Apostolic Johannite Gnostic Church have established a monstastic lay order called The Order of Saint Esclarmonde. People who join the order are required to commit to "mindfulness, daily contemplation, and community action through charitable works" in their home communities. Saint Esclarmonde, according to Apostolic Johannite Gnostic Church Monsignor Jordan Stratford of Vancouver, British Columbia, was romanticized during the Napoleonic era in France and became a "kind of Cathar Joan of Arc" who was a symbol of the revival of art and mysticism in the 19th century. One legend has it that Esclarmonde turned into a dove and flew away when inquisitors of the Roman Catholic Church arrived to take her to her execution.[2]
[3] The University of Winnipeg offers the Esclarmonde de Foix travel scholarship in her memory.[4]
[edit] Notes
- ^ "Who's Who in the Cathar War" (2007). Retrieved on March 18, 2007.
- ^ Jordan Stratford (2007). "Order of Saint Esclarmonde". Retrieved on March 18, 2007.
- ^ Foix
- ^ University of Winnipeg (2007). "International Opportunities for Study at the University of Winnipeg". Retrieved on March 18, 2007.
[edit] References
- Michel Roquebert, “ the epopee cathare. 1198-1212: The invasion ”. Toulouse: Privat, 1970.
- Helene Shines Köppel, “Die Ketzerin vom Montségur”, Aufbau-TB-Verlag, Berlin, 2002, ISBN 3-7466-1869-X
- Who's Who in the Cathar War]
