Abbey of Notre-Dame du Lys / Our Lady of the Lily, Melun, France (13th Century) and Memorials of the Saints – 8 February

Abbey of Notre-Dame du Lys / Our Lady of the Lily, Melun, France (13th Century) – 8 February:

The Royal Abbey of Notre-Dame du Lys / Our Lady of the Lys –
The Abbot Orsini wrote: “This Abbey of Cistercian nuns was founded by Queen Blanche, Mother of King Saint Louis.”

The former Royal Abbey Notre-Dame du Lys, or Our Lady of the Lily, now in ruins, was once a Cistercian Abbey for nuns founded by Queen Blanche of Castile and her son, King Saint Louis IX, in 1244. The ruins are located along the centre of the Town of Dammarie-les-Lys, four kilometers downstream from Melun, in the south of the Seine-et-Marne. The town takes its name from the Chapel, meaning ‘the oratory of the Virgin next to the Abbey of Lys.’ Looted and converted into cattle pens during the French Revolution, the Abbey was then sold as a romantic ruin in 1797. The remains of the Abbey were made an historic monument on 30 December 1930.
From 1226 to 1248, during the early years of the reign of St Louis IX, that is to say, the period immediately preceding the foundation of the Abbey of the Lys, many Cistercian Monasteries were founded and several Churches dedicated. The foundation of an Abbey like Our Lady of Lys, is very burdensome financially, requiring a significant capital contribution. Land must be purchased for the Monastery, buildings constructed sufficient for life and maintenance of a number of religious and of course a Church.
On24 October 1227, the Consecration and Dedication of the magnificent Abbey Church that the Cistercians built in Longpont took place. The same year saw the creation of the Abbeys of the Treasury of Notre-Dame and Royaumont, as well as, the attachment of the Convent Panthémont to the order of Cîteaux.
In 1236, Queen Blanche of Castile, had laid the foundations of Notre-Dame-La-Royale, Maubuisson, near Pontoise, so Saint Louis, therefore, assumed all expenses involved in the foundation of the new Abbey but left his mother in charge of the work. ‘Our Lady of the Lily’ would be the new house for Cistercian nuns outside Melun, a town which Blanche loved. The name was one they had agreed upon for the new Convent, a Convent where there would be prayers perpetually offered to God, for the sake of the Crusade that King Louis would soon embark upon.
The Queen of France, Blanche of Castile, wife of King Louis VIII ‘the Lion’ and mother of King Saint Louis IX, died there on 27 November, 1252.
There is a list of Abbesses of Our Lady of Lys beginning with Vienna Alix, Countess of Macon and the last Countess of Vienna, who died there on 23 August 1258. She had been widowed, when her husband died fighting in the Holy Land in 1234. The last Abbess was Jeanne Foissy, who was forced to leave by the revolutionaries on 3 March 1791.
Blanche of Castile withdrew to Melun towards the end of her life, where she died in 1252, while her son Saint Louis was on a crusade with his wife Marguerite. She was buried at the Abbey of Maubuisson but her heart was later transported to the Abbey of Lys.

St Jerome Emiliani CRS (1486–1537) (Optional Memorial)
About St Jerome:
https://anastpaul.com/2019/02/08/saint-of-the-day-8-february-st-jerome-emiliani-crs-1486-1537/

St Josephine Bakhita FDCC (1869-1947) (Optional Memorial) 6th Day of Prayer against Human Trafficking under the Patronage of St Josephine.
Biography:
https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2018/02/08/saint-of-the-day-8-february-st-josephine-bakhita-1869-1947/

St Cointha of Alexandria
St St Cuthman
St Cyriacus of Rome
St Dionysus of Armenia
St Elfleda of Whitby
St Emilian of Armenia
Blessed Maria Esperanza de Jesus (1893-1983)
About Bl Maria:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/02/08/saint-of-the-day-8-february-blessed-maria-esperanza-de-jesus-1893-1983/
St Giacuto
St Gisela
St Honoratus of Milan
St Invenzio of Pavia
St Isaias Boner
St Jacoba
Bl Josephina Gabriella Bonino
St Kigwe
St Lucius of Rome
St Meingold
St Mlada of Prague
St Nicetius of Besançon
St Oncho of Clonmore
St Paul of Rome
St Paul of Verdun
Blessed Pietro Igneus OSB Vall. (c 1020 – 1089) Cardinal Bishop
St Sebastian of Armenia
St Stephen of Muret
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Martyrs of Constantinople: Community of 5th century monks at the monastery of Saint Dius at Constantinople. Imprisoned and martyred for loyalty to the Vatican during the Acacian Schism. 485 in Constantinople.

Martyrs of Persia: An unknown number of Christians murdered in early 6th-century Persia. Legend says that so many miracles occurred through the intercession of these martyrs that the king decreed an end to the persecution of Christians.