Marie Blanche de Grignan was the great-great granddaughter of the Visitation Order’s Foundress, St. Jane de Chantal, and the granddaughter of the famous letter writer, Madame Sevigne. Her mother Francoise, married to François Adhémar de Monteil, comte de Grignan, traveled very often, and left the little girl , born in 1670, with her grandmother Madame Sevigne, who cherished her.

As was common in those days, children of the nobility were often placed in the care of religious in  boarding schools where they obtained a fine education.

Such was the situation with Marie-Blanche who at nearly six years old was sent to the boarding academy of the Visitation Nuns of the First Monastery of the Visitation in Aix-en-Provence.

In her case, she never left!

Between 16 and 18 years of age, she pronounced her vows as a Visitation Nun, and remained in the same community in Aix until her death at 61 years old in 1730.

That is her vocation story, in brief.

Did she resign herself to this vocation? Was she truly called? Was Marie Blanche a product of her society which encouraged first born daughters with younger brothers to be sent to convents, so the son of the family could be the heir?

Some claim those suspicions but in any case, she lived her whole life as a monastic and was even elected Superior. The Annee Sainte publication, Tome X, with the brief story of her life shows her to be a model religious.

This sister did not degenerate from her illustrious origin, and, abandoning  vain grandeur, all her ambition was to follow the footsteps of her illustrious great great grandmother, our holy Mother Jane de Chantal. Her talents led her to be given various charges in the Monastery: portress, infirmarian, bursar, sacristan, assistant to the Superior, and towards the end of her life, Superior. She died a holy death after tremendous suffering, in 1730.

This First Monastery of Aix, 19 miles north of Marseilles, France,  had a precious history.

There, is the first chapel dedicated to the Sacred Heart in the year 1693. A solemn and public celebration inaugurated in the city of Aix this precious devotion. In this dear monastery, founded by Mother de Châtel, our holy Mother stayed with her two dear daughters, Mother Jacqueline Favre and Françoise-Madeleine de Chaugy. It was here that she gathered in 1636 the superiors of the various Monasteries of Provence, and left them her precious teachings, here that our blessed founder saw at her feet the Bishop of Sénez solicit the blessing of a saint.

 The life of Marie Blanche,  named in religion, Sister Francoise Marie, is documented in Volume 10 of the Annee Sainte. Another descendent of St. Jane, Diane, who also became a Visitandine, is also recorded in another volume of this series.

We will continue to follow The Trail of Discovery to see Diane’s vocation story!