Constitutions des Religieuses Hospitalieres de la Charite Notre Dame, de l’ordre de St. Augustin: etablies a Paris par l’authorite de monseigneur l’illustrissime & reverendissime messier Jean Francois de Gondy, archevesque de Paris. 1652.
Call Number: SpC 271.91R392c1640
One of the most important charitable institutions of Paris during St. Vincent’s time was the Hotel-Dieu hospital located close to the cathedral of Notre Dame on the Ile de la Cite. Dating from the ninth century, the hospital welcomed large numbers of the poor-sick. It was administered by a priory of Augustinian nuns who reported to the cathedral’s chapter.
The first work undertaken by the Ladies of Charity of Paris was to visit the women patients at the hospital, bring them something to eat, exhort them to bear their illnesses, and to make a good general confession. Daughters of Charity were assigned to support the visits made by the Ladies. Saint Vincent told the Daughters to “show great honor and respect to the nuns of the Hotel-Dieu, both because they deserve this and also in recognition of the honor they do them of allowing them to minister in their house, and they will strive to be an edification to them.”
The nuns were greatly influenced by the example of the Ladies and Daughters of Charity as well as by the general reform movement that was taking place among the traditional religious orders in Counter-Reformation France. Between 1650 and 1652 the nuns under the leadership of Mere du Saint-Nom de Jesus (Genevive Bouquet) completely revised their 1535 constitutions. This was done under the authority of Francois Lavocat, the hospital’s “visitor” appointed by the cathedral chapter. Perhaps most notably, in addition to the three traditional vows of chastity, poverty, and obedience the nuns now added a fourth vow to serve the sick poor.
The present volume is a manuscript copy of these new constitutions.
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St. Vincent’s Reading List is recurring blog series exploring texts known to have been read and recommended by St. Vincent de Paul, those which can be presumed to have been read by him, and important works published during his lifetime (1581-1660). All materials discussed are held by DePaul’s Special Collections and Archives. The entire series may be viewed here.