Francis de Sales
French bishop, saint, writer and Doctor of the Church (1567-1622) · France · Religious Figures · Died at 55
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Something wrong?A 17th-century bishop who met the fractures of the Reformation not with fire but with what his contemporaries called gentleness - an approach radical enough that it made him a saint and, centuries later, a template for spiritual formation.
A life in dates
Also in Deutsch
Photos 8
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Château de Bussy-Rabutin - Saint François de Sales, évêque de Genève (bgw19 0375) (cropped)
Andrzej Radwański - Kazanie św. Franciszka Salezego do kalwinów z okręgu Chablais
1892 Namenspatron Franz von Sales ueber der Einrichtung
Casa Museo Gualerci Nicola Sasso Pisano S. Francois de Sales 1858
Chapelle François de Sales Saint-Paul Lyon.jpg?width=1200)
Charolles - Maison 11 rue du Prieuré, plaque séjour Saint François de Sales (juin 2023)
Chasuble de Saint-François-de-Sales
Chiesa di Santa Maria Assunta altare Francesco di Sales Manerba del GardaIn their own words 9
, Make friends with the angels, who though invisible are always with you....
The elephant, not only the largest but the most intelligent of animals, provides us with an excellent example.
There are no galley-slaves in the royal vessel of divine love - every man works his oar voluntarily!
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Born in Savoy in August 1567, Francis de Sales became Bishop of Geneva in 1602, stepping into a region split by Protestant and Catholic hostilities. Where others hardened battle lines, he chose persuasion over force, a pastoral style that drew attention precisely because it ran against the grain of his era. He wrote two works that outlasted the politics: the Introduction to the Devout Life and the Treatise on the Love of God, both guides to inner discipline that found readers far beyond his diocese. He served until his death in December 1622. The Church canonized him in 1665.
Religious Figures from France 6
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