Felix of Valois facts for kids
Quick facts for kids SaintFelix of Valois OSST |
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| Confessor | |
| Born | April 16, 1127 possibly Valois, France |
| Died | November 4, 1212 (aged 85) Monastery of Cerfroid, Brumetz, Picardy (now the department of Aisne), France |
| Venerated in | Catholic Church |
| Canonized | May 1, 1262, Rome by Pope Urban IV |
| Major shrine | Monastery of Cerfroid, Brumetz, Department of Aisne, France |
| Feast | November 4 November 20 (General Roman Calendar 1679-1969) |
| Attributes | banner; old man in Trinitarian habit with a coronet at his feet; purse; Trinitarian with a stag nearby; Trinitarian with chains or captives nearby; depicted with the Holy Trinity |
Saint Felix of Valois was a French Catholic saint. He was born in 1127 and is known for helping to start the Trinitarian Order. This religious group worked to free people who had been captured. Felix lived a life of prayer and service. He is honored as a saint in the Catholic Church.
Life of Saint Felix
Felix was born in 1127. He was called 'Valois' because he came from the Valois region of France. He chose to give up his personal belongings. Then, he went to live in a thick forest near Meaux, France. There, he spent his time praying and thinking deeply.
Later, a young nobleman named John of Matha heard about Felix. John was from Provence and had studied a lot. He found Felix and asked him for guidance. John suggested they start a special group to help free people who were captured. Even though Felix was 70 years old, he quickly agreed to this idea.
The Trinitarian Order
Felix and John traveled to Rome in the winter of 1198. They met with the new Pope, Pope Innocent III. The Pope was kind to them. He approved their plan to create a new religious group. This group was called the Order of the Holy Trinity for the Redemption of Captives. Its main goal was to free people who were held captive.
Pope Innocent III made John of Matha the first leader of the order. He also asked others to write rules for the group. Felix then went back to France to help set up the order there. People were very excited about it. The King of France, King Philip Augustus, supported the new group.
A noblewoman named Margaret of Blois gave them land. This land was near where Felix had first lived as a hermit. On this spot, they built the main monastery for the order. It was called Brumetz. Within 40 years, the Trinitarian Order had 600 monasteries across Europe. Felix stayed in France to manage the order's growth. He died at the main monastery in Cerfroid on November 4, 1212.
Becoming a Saint
It is believed that Pope Urban IV officially declared Felix a saint on May 1, 1262. This process is called canonization. His feast day, which is a special day to remember him, was celebrated in the Diocese of Meaux as early as 1215.
On October 21, 1666, Pope Alexander VII confirmed Felix's status as a saint. This was because people had honored him as a saint for a very long time. His feast day was moved to November 20 in 1679. This was done because November 4 was already the feast day for Charles Borromeo. However, in 1969, Felix's feast day was moved back to November 4, the day he died.
Legacy
Saint Felix of Valois is remembered in several places today. A village in Quebec, Canada, is named Saint-Felix-de-Valois. There is also a St. Felix de Valois Parish in Bankstown, Australia. In Clifton Springs, New York, a church called St. Felix Church is named after him. It was built in 1895.
See also
In Spanish: Félix de Valois para niños
