Part of a Series on Vincentian Heritage Places

Église Saint-Joseph des Carmes

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Family members encouraged Amélie Ozanam to bury his remains in Montparnasse Cemetery, but she had other plans for her beloved husband. She arranged for burial at the Church of Saint-Joseph des Carmes with the help of members of the Dominican Order who staffed the church.

The Dominican community provided a final resting place in a lower crypt near the remains of 114 priests massacred during the French Revolution in September 1792. Frédéric’s tomb was located beneath the Chapel of the Guardian Angels, where Amélie had once had a premonition that her husband would find his final resting place. Amélie’s persistence had fulfilled her wishes, and yet Amélie was prevented from entering the crypt by the rules of the Dominican Order. She was only allowed to peek through a small grate to see her husband’s last resting place. In 1855, however, she received special permission from Pope Pius IX to enter the crypt by the garden. From that moment, the Dominican fathers were treated to the daily sight of Amélie and Marie, their arms laden with flowers, crossing the interior courtyard.

Source: Antoine Frédéric Ozanam by Raymond L. Sickinger, University of Notre Dame Press

Ozanam tomb in crypt, St. Joseph des Carmes, Paris

All Vincentian Places in this Series

Red = Vincent de Paul, Blue = Frederic Ozanam

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