ARRAS, Blessed Martyrs of. - This is the name given to the four "Daughters of Charity" of the religious house of Arras: Marie-Madeleine Fontaine, superior, Marie-Françoise Lanel, Marie-Thérèse Fontou and Jeanne Gérard, guillotined by the Commune at Cambrai on 29 June 1794 for reasons of religion. Witnesses to the heroic attachment of the clergy of Arras to the faith and to the Roman Church, they too refused, in 1791, to take the oath of liberty-equality; but, protected by the sympathy of the population, they were able to continue their work of charity until the beginning of 1794. When, however, the people's commissioner G. Lebon arrived at Arras, they were denounced and arrested; then, after Lebon had moved on to Cambrai, they too were taken there and appeared before the people's tribunal on 26 June. The president offered them their life and liberty if they would take the oath. They refused, and so they were condemned to death. Three days later they climbed the guillotine, with the rosary around their heads. They were beatified by Benedict XV on 13 June 1920.

Bibliography3 works

BIBL.: L. Misermont, Les Filles de la Charité d'Arras dernières victimes de Joseph Lebon à Cambrai guillotinées le 8 Messidor an II (26 juin 1794), 2nd ed., Cambrai-Paris 1901; id., Supplément à la 2e édition, Cambrai 1902; id., Les bienheureuses Filles de la Charité d'Arras, Paris 1920.

Celestino Testore

@incollection{ec2_arras_martiri_di_beate, author = {Testore, Celestino}, title = {Arras, martiri di, beate}, booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica}, volume = {II}, pages = {17--18}, note = {Cited by column}, publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico}, address = {Città del Vaticano}, year = {1949}, url = {https://azioneromana.com/article/arras-martiri-di-beate} }

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Arras, Blessed Martyrs of

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