LATEAU, LOUISE. - Mystic and stigmatist, born at Bois d'Haine (Belgium) on 29 Jan. 1850; died there on 25 Aug. 1883. The daughter of extremely poor peasants, she showed from childhood a great spirit of sacrifice (she tended plague victims during the epidemic of 1866) and a love of suffering. At the age of 16 she enrolled as a Franciscan tertiary.
After being healed twice of mortal illnesses, she received her first bloody stigmata on 24 Apr. 1868; these recurred uninterruptedly every Friday until 2 years before her death, accompanied by long ecstasies (from 17 June 1868), during which, in complete anaesthesia, she witnessed the Passion of Jesus and spoke with the Virgin and the saints. From 1875 the pains of the stigmata became so severe that she could no longer rise from her bed; from 1871 she lived in absolute inedia, receiving only daily Communion. L. also had the gift of prophecy and was for a long time prey to diabolical obsessions.
Her case was studied by various physicians (including R. Virchow) and was the subject of discussions at the Académie Royale de médecine de Belgique between Dr F. Lefebvre, her defender (who published L. L., étude médicale, 2ª ed. Lovanio 1873), and Warlmont, her opponent (cf. Bulletin de l'Académie Royale de médecine de Belgique, 9 [1876]).