Blessed Delphina
Blessed Delphina of Glandèves (born c. 1284 AD in Château-Puimichel, Provence, France; died November 26, 1358 AD in Apt, Provence, France) was a French noblewoman of Provence who entered into a continent (celibate) marriage with Blessed Elzear of Sabran in 1299, living with him as a spiritual companion rather than as a carnal spouse, and who devoted her long life — particularly the forty years she survived her husband — to prayer, fasting, and service to the poor. She was a Franciscan tertiary. She was beatified by Pope Urban V in 1363. Her feast day is November 26 (or December 9 in some traditions).
Stored in Cargo: Blessed Delphina
| Blessed Delphina | |
|---|---|
| Feast Day | November 26 |
| Profession | Noblewoman of Provence; Franciscan Tertiary; wife of Blessed Elzear of Sabran (continent marriage); widow; penitent; mystic; dame of the Angevin court of Naples |
| Rel. Affiliation | Catholic Church; Franciscan Third Order; Provençal Catholic tradition; 14th-century French mysticism; Angevin court piety |
| Patronage | Provence; Apt; Franciscan tertiaries; those in continent or chaste marriages; widows; those who practice heroic fasting and penance; Alpes-de-Haute-Provence |
| Attributes | Franciscan Third Order habit (grey cord); lily (chastity); wedding ring (continent marriage); the Luberon landscape; November 26 feast |
| Birthplace | Château-Puimichel, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, Provence, France |
| Death Place | Apt, Vaucluse, Provence, France |
| Cause of Death | Natural death; died November 26, 1358, in Apt, Provence; she was approximately 74 years old; she had outlived her husband Blessed Elzear of Sabran by 40 years (he died 1323); after his death she retired to a life of extreme poverty, prayer, and fasting at Apt; she was known for mystical gifts and for her heroic fasting; she was beatified by Pope Urban V in 1363, five years after her death; her cultus was formally confirmed |
| Primary Shrine | Cathedral of Sainte-Anne d'Apt, Apt, Vaucluse, Provence — her relics; November 26 feast; beatified Urban V 1363 |
| Liturgical Class | Not in universal Roman calendar; November 26 feast in Provence and the Franciscan Third Order; December 9 in some traditions |
| Historic Class | Not in 1962 calendar |
Biography
Delphina of Glandèves was born around 1284 at Château-Puimichel in Provence, into the noble house of Glandèves. In 1299, at approximately fifteen years of age, she was married to Elzear of Sabran, a young Provençal nobleman. They agreed to live as brother and sister in a celibate (continent) marriage, supporting each other in the spiritual life.
The couple served at the Angevin court of Naples, where Elzear tutored the heir to the throne. When Elzear died at Paris in 1323, Delphina returned to Provence and entered into a life of extreme poverty, fasting, and prayer at Apt, becoming a Franciscan tertiary.
She survived her husband by forty years, living with increasing austerity and mystical depth. She died November 26, 1358, in Apt, at approximately 74 years of age.
She was beatified by Pope Urban V in 1363. Her husband Elzear was canonized by Clement VI in 1369. Her feast day is November 26.
Significant locations
Legend
Birth location: Château-Puimichel, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, Provence, France
Death location: Apt, Vaucluse, Provence, France
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Feast day
November 26
Veneration
Blessed Delphina of Glandèves (c. 1284–1358) was a Provençal noblewoman who lived in a celibate marriage with Blessed Elzear of Sabran, then survived him by forty years as a Franciscan Tertiary devoted to extreme poverty and contemplation at Apt; beatified Urban V, 1363. Feast November 26.
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