Places of St. Vincent de Paul
A 25 part series highlighting places important in the life of St. Vincent de Paul
Vincentian Places 01 – Ranquine
Vincent de Paul was born on April 24, 1581, at Ranquine, a hamlet near the village of Pouy, in the southwest of France.
Vincentian Places 02 – Pouy
Pouy (now known as St Vincent de Paul), was the village near Ranquine where Vincent de Paul was baptized.
Vincentian Places 03 – Dax
Vincent’s father sent him to Dax for four years, for secondary studies to be able to secure an ecclesiastical benefice.
Vincentian Places 04 – Toulouse
After his secondary studies at Dax, Vincent entered the university. He finished his studies at Toulouse in 1604 and received the baccalaureate in theology.
Vincentian Places 05 – Château-l’Évêque
Vincent was ordained at Château-l’Évêque in September 1600.
Vincentian Places 06 – Paris, rue de Seine
In 1610, Vincent lived in the Rue de Seine in Paris, and was one of several Chaplain-Almoners to Queen Marguérite de Valois, the first wife of Henry of Navarre (Henry IV of France).
Vincentian Places 07 – Clichy
In May 1612, Vincent de Paul took up the position of Parish Priest of Clichy, a small town of some 600 people, just to the northwest of Paris.
Vincentian Places 08 – Folleville
The Congregation of the Mission had its origins in a sermon given by St. Vincent in the parish church at Folleville.
Vincentian Places 09 – Châtillon-les-dombes
In August 1617 Vincent was a parish priest at Châtillon-les-Dombes where he founded the first Confraternity of Charity (precursor to the Ladies of Charity), a group of lay people to help those in need.
Vincentian Places 10, 11 and 12 – Île-de-France, Champagne, and Picardy
With other volunteer priests, Vincent gave missions in the villages belonging to the De Gondi family, in the Île-de-France, Champagne, and Picardy regions of France.
Vincentian Places 13 – Saint-Lazare
The Priory of St Lazare was the home of Vincent de Paul for the latter part of his life, after the Congregation of the Mission moved there from the College des Bons Enfants in 1632.
Vincentian Places 14 – Hôtel-Dieu, Beaune
The Hotel-Dieu was built in the 15th century as a hospital. This is typical of the hospitals that the church operated in the time of St. Vincent de Paul.
Vincentian Places 15 – Toul
In 1635 St. Vincent de Paul sent Vincentians to Toul to take charge of the Hospital of the Holy Spirit, more of a refuge than a medical facility, in his efforts to bring relief to Lorraine which was ravaged by war during his lifetime.
Vincentian Places 16 – Annecy
Beginning in 1641, Vincent worked on the major seminaries of Annecy, Cahors, etc. The houses for rural missions became numerous, as did the houses of the Sisters.
Vincentian Places 17 – Cahors
Beginning in 1641, Vincent worked on the major seminaries of Annecy, Cahors, etc. The houses for rural missions became numerous, as did the houses of the Sisters.
Vincentian Places 18 – Collège des Bons Enfants, Paris
The Collège des Bons Enfants in Paris was the home of Vincent de Paul and the confreres of the Congregation of the Mission from 1625 to 1632.
Vincentian Places 19 – Marseille
As the chaplain to the galley slaves, Vincent ministered to prisoners in Marseille.
Vincentian Places 20 – Saint-Germain-En-Laye
During the latter part of his life, Vincent de Paul had an association with the French Royal Court at Saint-Germain-en-Laye, just west of Paris.
Vincentian Places 21 – Val-de-Grâce
Vincent became a personal adviser to Queen Anne of Austria, and regularly visited her at her villa at the Val-de-Grâce.
Vincentian Places 22 – Joigny
Joigny was a place that St. Vincent de Paul frequented. It was part of the de Gondi family’s lands. One of the first Confraternities of Charity was established there.
Vincentian Places 23 – Gannes
An experience in Gannes inspired Vincent’s sermon in Folleville (January 25th) that marked the beginning of the Congregation of the Mission.
Vincentian Places 24 – Villepreux
Villepreux, France is where, on February 23, 1618, Vincent de Paul established the second Confraternity of Charity, and where he met Marguerite Naseau, who is recognized as the first of the Daughters of Charity.
Vincentian Places 25 – Montmirail
After the significant events in Folléville and Châtillon, the lived experience in Montmirail confirmed that the poor are abandoned and that the Church could only reveal God to the degree that she serves the poor.
