Early years Francis de Sales was born two months premature on 21 August 1567 in the
Château de Sales into the noble Sales family of the
Duchy of Savoy, in what is today
Thorens-Glières, Haute-Savoie, France. His father was François de Sales, Lord of
Sales, and Novel, and by marriage, de Boisy. His mother was a noblewoman, Françoise de Sionnaz, the only child of the prominent magistrate, Melchior de Sionnaz, Seigneur de Vallières, de la Thuile, and de Boisy. This being one of the noblest families in Savoy, Francis's father was generally known as M. de Boisy. He was baptised
Francis Bonaventura after his godparents, François de la Fléchère and Damoiselle Bonaventure de Chevron-Villette, who was also his widowed, maternal grandmother. His father wanted him, the first of his six sons, to attend the best schools in preparation for a career as a
magistrate. He therefore enjoyed a privileged education in the nearby town of
La Roche-Sur-Foron, and at the age of eight at the
Capuchin college in
Annecy.
Education and self-consecration In 1578, de Sales went to the
Collège de Clermont, then a
Jesuit institution, to study
rhetoric and
humanities. On this first visit to Paris, he lived near the
Église Sainte-Geneviève with his three cousins. As a nobleman, he was accompanied by his servant and by a priest tutor, Abbé Déage. To please his father, he took lessons in the gentlemanly pursuits of riding, dancing, and fencing. De Sales is described as intelligent and handsome, tall and well built with blue-grey eyes, somewhat reserved and quiet, and a welcome guest in the homes of the nobility among whom his father had connections. In 1586, Francis de Sales attended a
theological discussion about
predestination that convinced him of his
damnation to
hell. A personal crisis of despair resulted. That conviction lasted through December 1586. His great despair made him physically ill and even bedridden for a time. Sometime in either late December or early January 1587, he visited the old
parish of
Saint-Étienne-des-Grès, Paris, where he prayed the "
Memorare" before a famed statue of Our Lady of Good Deliverance, a
Black Madonna. He consecrated himself to the
Blessed Virgin Mary and decided to dedicate his life to
God with a vow of chastity. He was accompanied by his twelve-year-old brother, Gallois, also a student in Padua. De Sales took
Antonio Possevino, a priest in the
Society of Jesus, as his
spiritual director.
Return to Savoy In 1592, de Sales received his doctorate in law and
theology and made up his mind to become a priest. He made a
pilgrimage to
Loreto, Italy, famous for its
Basilica Della Santa Casa (Shrine of the Holy House) and then returned home to
Savoy. As the eldest son and heir, he held the title of Seigneur de Villeroget. The Senate of
Chambéry admitted him as a lawyer. Meanwhile, his father secured various positions for Francis, including an appointment as a senator. His father also chose a wealthy noble heiress as his bride, but Francis refused to marry, preferring to stay focused on his chosen path. His father initially refused to accept that Francis had chosen the priesthood rather than fulfill his expectations with a political-military career. His cousin, Canon Louis de Sales, persuaded the Bishop of Geneva, Claude de Granier, to obtain for Francis the position of provost of the cathedral chapter of Geneva, a post in the patronage of the pope. It was the highest office in the diocese; M. de Boisy yielded. After signing over to his younger brother, Louis, his title and right of succession, Francis was ordained in 1593. While in Paris, he also met
Cardinal Berulle and
Madame Acarie. They consulted with him on matters such as the introduction of
Teresa of Ávila's
Carmelites into France and plans for the reforming of monasteries and convents. He was consulted on matters of conscience by persons at court.
Bishop of Geneva In 1602, Bishop Granier died, and Sales was consecrated Bishop of
Geneva by
Vespasien Gribaldi, assisted by Thomas Pobel and Jacques Maistret, O.Carm., as co-consecrators. He resided in
Annecy (now in France) because Geneva remained under Calvinist control and was therefore closed to him. His diocese became famous throughout Europe for its efficient organisation, zealous clergy and well-instructed laity, an achievement in those days. He worked closely with the
Order of Friars Minor Capuchin, which was very active in preaching the Catholic faith in his diocese. It appreciated his cooperation so much that in 1617 it made him an official associate of the Order, the highest honour possible for a non-member. It is said that at
Evian, on the south shore of
Lake Geneva,
Francis of Assisi appeared to him and said: "You desire
martyrdom, just as I once longed for it. But, like me, you will not obtain it. You will have to become an instrument of your own martyrdom." During his years as bishop, de Sales acquired a reputation as a spellbinding preacher and something of an
ascetic. His motto was, "He who preaches with love, preaches effectively." His goodness, patience and mildness became proverbial.
Founder Along with Chantal, de Sales founded the women's
Order of the Visitation of Holy Mary (Visitandines) in Annecy on 6 June 1610. Archbishop
Denis-Simon de Marquemont required the order's members to maintain
cloistered lives. Sales also established a community of men, an
Oratory of St. Philip Neri, at
Thonon-les-Bains, with himself as the superior, or
Provost. That work, however, was crippled by his death, and the community soon died out.
Death In December 1622, de Sales was required to travel in the entourage of
Charles Emmanuel I,
Duke of Savoy, for the Duke's Christmas tour of his domain. Upon arrival in Lyon, de Sales chose to stay in the gardener's hut at the Visitandine monastery in that city. While there he suffered a stroke, from which he died on 28 December 1622. ==Posthumous veneration==