SLO LIFE Fall 2010

Just who was Saint Louis, and
what did he do to get
such a special place
named after him?
Born some 736 years ago
in Brignoles, France,
prior to his sainthood,
the young Louis was
a military cadet of the
Royal French “House
of Anjou,” which until
it became defunct
in 1435, ruled much
of Southern Europe.
At some point during
Louis’ childhood, his
father was named
the “King of Naples,”
because of his
personal relationship
with a secretary to the
King of France.
The Way It Was
Saint Louis, the Bishop
During one of the many feudal wars at the
time, Louis’ father was taken prisoner in
Italy, but he was able to obtain his freedom
by offering his three sons as hostages
[Gee… thanks, dad!]. So, Louis and his two
brothers were hauled off to enemy territory
in Barcelona, Spain and placed under the
supervision of Franciscan friars who cared for
the boys and educated them over a period
of seven years.
At twenty-one years old, when his older
brother died in 1295, Louis became the heir
to his father’s throne. It was the same year
that he was freed by the friars. So, you would
imagine the young prince would spend his life
in-waiting, enjoying the spoils of royalty and
wealth, right? Well, not quite…
When presented with the choice, Louis
elected to travel to Rome and announce
that he would take the Franciscan vows of
poverty, chastity, and obedience. He then
forfeited his royal inheritance and claims to
the throne to his youngest brother.
Despite Louis’ desire to live a simple life in a
monastery, his father’s political connections
kept pulling him back into governance and
the secular world. And, at the age of 22, the
young Louis was appointed to the enormously
important leadership position as “Bishop of
Toulouse.” Although he continued to
impress the Church with his dedication and
willingness to walk away from vast
wealth, it was the fact that his uncle,
Alphonse, the brother of his father,
had recently been installed as
the “Count of Toulouse,” but
died suddenly without a son.
As a result, the position of
“Bishop of Toulouse” was
appointed to his nephew,
Louis. It was now his job
to govern the affairs of the
region.
Historical accounts of the
time indicate that young
Louis was an extremely
popular and magnanimous
leader, always putting the
needs of others before his
own. Although “mildmannered”
he developed a
reputation for actively serving
the poor, feeding the hungry, and ignoring his
own well-being. In fact, he worked so hard
that just six months into his role as Bishop, he
became so exhausted by his efforts that he
was no longer able to function. So he quit.
Just a few months later, Louis died at the age
of 23. Today, it is speculated that the cause
of death was actually typhoid fever that was
probably brought on by his exhaustion and
overexposure to his many ailing subjects. The
young bishop had literally worked himself to
death.
After his passing Louis was never widely
celebrated by the Catholic Church, but the
Franciscans continued to embrace him and
lobbied for his sainthood. They eventually
won over Pope John XXII and Louis became
Saint Louis. The Franciscans further honored
him by creating a holiday in their calendar
and moved his relics (essentially, his personal
items) to Valencia, Spain where he was also
made a patron saint. The unique bond that
Saint Louis formed at a young age with the
Franciscans was never forgotten. So, when
Father Junipero Serra passed through this
beautiful part of “Alta California” (the name
the Spanish had given to lands North of
Mexico) in 1772, he was inspired to name
it “San Luis Obispo” which is Spanish for
“Saint Louis, the Bishop.” SLO LIFE
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