Famous French Spiritual & Religious Leaders

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 1 
Saint Sebastian
4
Birthdate: 0256 AD
Birthplace: Narbonne, France
Died: 0288 AD
Saint Sebastian, a Christian saint, was almost killed during Diocletian's persecution of Christians. However, he was later rescued by Saint Irene of Rome. Following this, Sebastian tried warning Diocletian about his sins but was instead clubbed to death. Medieval traditions labelled him as a protector against the plague.
 2 
Bernadette Soubirous
(French Saint Who Received Visions from the Virgin Mary in a Cave Near Lourdes)
Bernadette Soubirous
4
Birthdate: January 7, 1844
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Lourdes, France
Died: April 16, 1879
Bernadette Soubirous grew up amidst poverty, which contributed to her ill health and her stunted frame of just over 4 feet. At 14, she had visions of the Virgin Mary, which led to the formation of the Marian shrine of Lourdes. She was declared a saint by Pope Pius XI.
 3 
Jacques de Molay
(Religious Leader)
Jacques de Molay
4
Birthdate: 1243 AD
Birthplace: Molay, Haute-Saône, France
Died: March 18, 1314
It is believed Jacques de Molay, the Knights Templar’s last grand master, had cursed King Philip IV of France while being burned to death at his orders. The curse is said to have affected Philip and his descendants, the "Accursed Kings," leading to their downfall and the Hundred Years’ War.
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 4 
Rashi
(Rabbi, Author)
Rashi
3
Birthdate: February 22, 1040
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Troyes, France
Died: July 13, 1105

Salomon Isaacides, also popularly known as Rashi, was a medieval French rabbi. He is acclaimed as the author of a comprehensive commentary on the Talmud. He also authored a  commentary on the Hebrew Bible (the Tanakh). His works, penned in a concise and lucid manner, form the foundation of contemporary Jewish studies and rabbinic scholarship and interpretation.

 5 
Louise Marie Therese
(Nun)
Louise Marie Therese
3
Birthdate: November 16, 1664
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Moret-sur-Loing, France
Died: 1732 AD

Louise Marie Therese was a French nun who lived in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. She has been mentioned in many different sources, some dubiously claiming that she was the daughter of the Queen of France, Maria Theresa of Spain. She was a black woman and a Benedictine nun in the abbey of Moret-sur-Loing. 

 6 
John Baptist de La Salle
(Priest)
John Baptist de La Salle
3
Birthdate: April 30, 1651
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Kingdom of France
Died: April 7, 1719

John Baptist de La Salle, also known as La Salle, is remembered as the founder of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, or the de La Salle Brothers. Apart from setting up charitable boarding schools, he also trained teachers. He is revered as the patron saint of school teachers and educators.

 7 
Peter the Hermit
(Priest)
Peter the Hermit
3
Birthdate: 1050 AD
Birthplace: Amiens
Died: July 8, 1115

Peter the Hermit, also known as Little Peter, was a major figure of the First Crusade and a leader of the People’s Crusade, which entered the East before the Crusaders. He preached on the Mount of Olives just before Jerusalem was stormed. He also established an Augustinian monastery in Neufmoustier.

 8 
Pope Clement V
3
Birthdate: 1264 AD
Birthplace: Villandraut, France
Died: April 20, 1314

Pope Clement V heralded the Avignon Papacy by choosing Avignon as the papal residence instead of Rome. He also crushed the order of the Knights Templar and was known to favor his relatives. Following his death, his body was completely destroyed in a church fire caused by a lightning strike.

 9 
Louise de Marillac
(Saint)
Louise de Marillac
3
Birthdate: August 12, 1591
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Le Meux, Oise, France
Died: March 15, 1660
 10 
Pierre Cauchon
(Bishop of Beauvais)
Pierre Cauchon
3
Birthdate: 1371 AD
Birthplace: Reims, France
Died: December 18, 1442
 11 
Saint Denis of Paris
(Bishop of Paris)
Saint Denis of Paris
2
Birthplace: Roman Italy, Italy
Died: 0258 AD
 12 
Jean-Louis Tauran
(French Cardinal of the Catholic Church)
Jean-Louis Tauran
3
Birthdate: April 5, 1943
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Bordeaux, France
Died: July 5, 2018

Jean-Louis Tauran was a French cardinal of the Catholic Church who served as president of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue. He was also the Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church. Ordained to the priesthood in 1969, he entered the Vatican's diplomatic service a few years later. He was the Vatican's chief archivist and librarian for several years. 

 13 
Marguerite Bourgeoys
(Nun)
Marguerite Bourgeoys
2
Birthdate: April 17, 1620
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Troyes, Champagne, Kingdom of France
Died: January 12, 1700
 14 
Madeleine Sophie Barat
(Saint)
Madeleine Sophie Barat
2
Birthdate: December 12, 1779
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Joigny, France
Died: May 25, 1865
 15 
Pope Stephen IX
(Pope)
Pope Stephen IX
2
Birthdate: 1020 AD
Birthplace: Duchy of Lorraine, France
Died: March 29, 1058
 16 
Pope Callixtus II
(Pope)
Pope Callixtus II
3
Birthdate: 1065 AD
Birthplace: Quingey, France
Died: December 13, 1124
 17 
Pope Urban IV
(Pope)
Pope Urban IV
2
Birthdate: 1195
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Troyes, France
Died: October 2, 1264
 18 
Pope Innocent V
(Head of the Catholic Church)
Pope Innocent V
2
Birthdate: 1225 AD
Birthplace: La Salle, Italy
Died: June 22, 1276
 19 
Antipope Clement VII
(Antipope)
Antipope Clement VII
2
Birthdate: 1342 AD
Birthplace: Annecy, France
Died: September 16, 1394
 20 
Pope Clement IV
(Pope)
Pope Clement IV
2
Birthdate: November 23, 1190
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Saint-Gilles
Died: November 29, 1268
 21 
Pope Benedict XII
(Pope)
Pope Benedict XII
2
Birthdate: 1285 AD
Birthplace: Saverdun, France
Died: April 25, 1342
 22 
Pope Urban V
(Pope)
Pope Urban V
2
Birthdate: 1310
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Château de Grizac, France
Died: December 19, 1370
 23 
Rose Philippine Duchesne
(Sister)
Rose Philippine Duchesne
3
Birthdate: August 29, 1769
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Grenoble, France
Died: November 18, 1852
 24 
Julie Billiart
(Religious leader)
Julie Billiart
2
Birthdate: July 12, 1751
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Cuvilly, France
Died: April 8, 1816
 25 
François Leclerc du Tremblay
(Capuchin Frair)
François Leclerc du Tremblay
2
Birthdate: November 4, 1577
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Paris, France
Died: December 17, 1638
 26 
Ranulf Flambard
(Priest)
Ranulf Flambard
2
Birthdate: 1060 AD
Birthplace: Normandy, France
Died: September 5, 1128
 27 
Pope Martin IV
(Pope)
Pope Martin IV
2
Birthdate: 1210 AD
Birthplace: Touraine, France
Died: March 28, 1285
 28 
Pope Innocent VI
(Pope)
Pope Innocent VI
2
Birthdate: 1282 AD
Birthplace: Limousin, France
Died: September 12, 1362
 29 
Henry Of Blois
(Bishop)
Henry Of Blois
2
Birthdate: 1096 AD
Birthplace: France
Died: August 8, 1171
 30 
Joseph Justus Scaliger
(French Calvinist Religious Leader and Scholar)
Joseph Justus Scaliger
2
Birthdate: August 5, 1540
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Agen, France
Died: January 21, 1609

Joseph Justus Scaliger was a French Calvinist scholar and religious leader. His works on chronology were regarded as one of the most important contributions of Renaissance scholars. Joseph Justus Scaliger is best remembered for inflating the idea of classical history from ancient Roman and Greek history to include Babylonian, Persian, ancient Egyptian, and Jewish history. 

 31 
Henri Grégoire
(French Catholic Priest Who Was a Defender of the Constitutional Church)
Henri Grégoire
2
Birthdate: December 4, 1750
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Vého, France
Died: May 28, 1831

Henri Grégoire, or Abbé Grégoire, was not just a Catholic priest but also a revolutionary. He first gained prominence with his Essay on the Regeneration of the Jews. A radical Jacobin, he was the first priest of the Civil Constitution of the Clergy and also presided over the National Convention.

 32 
Cecilia of Normandy
(Nun)
Cecilia of Normandy
2
Birthdate: 1056 AD
Birthplace: Normandy, France
Died: July 30, 1126
 33 
Marcos de Niza
(Missionary)
Marcos de Niza
2
Birthdate: 1495 AD
Birthplace: Nice, France
Died: March 25, 1558
 34 
Guntram
(Saint)
Guntram
2
Birthdate: 0532 AD
Birthplace: Soissons
Died: January 28, 0592
 35 
Étienne Guibourg
(Abbé)
Étienne Guibourg
2
Birthdate: 1610 AD
Birthplace: Unknown
Died: December 31, 1686
 36 
Paulinus of Nola
(Poet)
Paulinus of Nola
2
Birthdate: 0354 AD
Birthplace: Bordeaux, France
Died: June 22, 0431
 37 
Adhemar of Le Puy
(Bishop)
Adhemar of Le Puy
2
Birthdate: 1055 AD
Birthplace: France
Died: August 1, 1098
 38 
John Eudes
(Priest)
John Eudes
2
Birthdate: November 14, 1601
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Ri, France
Died: August 19, 1680
 39 
Caesarius of Arles
(Saint)
Caesarius of Arles
2
Birthdate: 0470 AD
Birthplace: Chalon-sur-Saône, France
Died: August 27, 0542
 40 
Étienne-Charles de Loménie de Brienne
(Politician)
Étienne-Charles de Loménie de Brienne
2
Birthdate: October 9, 1727
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Paris, France
Died: February 19, 1794
 41 
Peter the Venerable
(Abbot)
Peter the Venerable
2
Birthdate: 1092 AD
Birthplace: France
Died: December 25, 1156
 42 
Louis César, Count of Vexin
(Abbot)
Louis César, Count of Vexin
1
Birthdate: June 20, 1672
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Château du Génitoy, France
Died: January 10, 1683
 43 
Antoine Court de Gébelin
(Pastor)
Antoine Court de Gébelin
2
Birthdate: 1719 AD
Birthplace: Paris, France
Died: May 10, 1784
 44 
Odo of Cluny
(Abbot)
Odo of Cluny
1
Birthdate: 0880 AD
Birthplace: Le Mans, France
Died: November 18, 0942
 45 
Gershom ben Judah
(Scholar)
Gershom ben Judah
2
Birthdate: 0960 AD
Birthplace: Metz, France
Died: 1040 AD
 46 
David Kimhi
(Rabbi)
David Kimhi
2
Birthdate: 1160 AD
Birthplace: Narbonne, France
Died: 1235 AD
 47 
William de Corbeil
(Educator)
William de Corbeil
2
Birthdate: 1070 AD
Birthplace: Corbeil-Essonnes, France
Died: November 21, 1136
 48 
Antipope Benedict XIV
(Antipope)
Antipope Benedict XIV
1
Birthplace: France
Died: 1429 AD
 49 
Charles, Cardinal of Lorraine
(Cardinal)
Charles, Cardinal of Lorraine
1
Birthdate: February 17, 1524
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Joinville, France
Died: December 26, 1574
 50 
Charles I, Duke of Brittany
(Medieval Breton Leaders)
Charles I, Duke of Brittany
1
Birthdate: 1319 AD
Died: September 29, 1364