Abstract

In her own lifetime Isabelle of France was a crucial figure in the formation of female Franciscan identity and the crystallization of Capetian sanctity.2 Rejecting several proposed marriages and dedicating herself to a life of saintly virginity in the world, she was founder of the abbey of Longchamp 3 and co-author of the rule for the Order of Sorores minores, adopted by communities throughout France, England and elsewhere.4 Her life and miracles were recorded in the Vie d’Isabelle written by Agnes of Harcourt, third abbess of Longchamp, around 1283.5 Although Isabelle’s memory was overshadowed by the 1297 canonization of her brother Louis IX, her cult began a comeback of...