Princess Louise-Marie of France
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- See also Louise-Marie of France (1812-1850), Queen of the Belgians.
Princess Louise-Marie of France (15 July 1737 - 23 December 1787) was the youngest of the 10 children of Louis XV of France and his Queen consort Maria Leszczyńska. Louise-Marie outlived her father, mother, and all of her siblings except for her two older sisters, Adélaïde and Victoire.
Louise was born at Versailles, and was known as "Madame Septième" (one of her seven older sisters died before her birth) or "Madame Dernière", later "Madame Louise". She was brought up at the Abbey of Fontevraud with Louis' three other youngest daughters, Victoire, Sophie and Thérèse-Félicité (who died aged 8).
None of her father's projects for her marriage came to fruition, and she sought sanctuary from the world in her religion. In 1748, there were rumours that Louis would have her engaged to Charles Edward Stuart (also known as "Bonnie Prince Charlie", the Young Pretender to the throne of England). She said: "N'ai-je pas sujet d'être bien inquiète puisqu'on me destine un époux, moi qui n'en veux d'autre que Jésus-Christ?" ("Shouldn't I be anxious when I am destined for a husband, when I don't want any other than Jesus Christ?").
She returned to the court in 1750. In 1770, to general amazement, Louise asked her father to allow her to become a Carmelite nun. She believed that becoming a nun would compensate for her father's lax morals. She joined the convent at Saint-Denis, where the order's rule was obeyed strictly, taking the name Thérèse of Saint Augustine. She became Mother Superior of the convent, and interceded with her father to allow Austrian Carmelites persecuted by the Emperor Joseph II to enter France. She died at Saint-Denis, suffering from a stomach complaint which may have been caused by poisoning. Her last words were: "Au paradis! Vite! Au grand galop!" ("To heaven! Quickly! At the gallop!")
Along with other royal tombs at Saint-Denis, her remains were desecrated during the French Revolution. Pope Pius IX declared her Venerable on 19 June 1873. Her life is celebrated on 23 December.
Her nephews included (among others) Ferdinand, Duke of Parma, Louis XVI of France, Louis XVIII of France, Charles X of France. Her nieces included Madame Élisabeth and Queen Maria Louisa of Spain.
