Martyrs of Compiègne
Martyrs of Compiègne | |
|---|---|
Stained glass window in the Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Quidenham, England | |
| Martyrs | |
| Born | c. 1715–1765 Various |
| Died | 17 July 1794 Place du Trône Renversé (modern day Place de la Nation), Paris, France |
| Cause of death | Decapitation by order of the Committee of Public Safety of the National Convention of Revolutionary France |
| Venerated in | Catholic Church |
| Beatified | 27 May 1906, Saint Peter's Basilica, Kingdom of Italy by Pope Pius X |
| Canonized | 18 December 2024, Apostolic Palace, Vatican City by Pope Francis |
| Feast | 17 July |
| Attributes | |
| Patronage | Carmelite Order Persecuted Christians |
The Martyrs of Compiègne were the 16 members of the Carmel of Compiègne, France: 11 Discalced Carmelite nuns, three lay sisters, and two externs (or tertiaries). They were executed by the guillotine towards the end of the Reign of Terror, at what is now the Place de la Nation in Paris on 17 July 1794, and are venerated as martyr saints of the Catholic Church. Ten days after their execution, Maximilien Robespierre himself was executed, ending the Reign of Terror. Their story has inspired a novella, a motion picture, a television movie, and an opera, Dialogues of the Carmelites, written by French composer Francis Poulenc.