Jeanne Émilie de Villeneuve
French nun and saint (1811–1854)
Feast: 2 October (not on the universal Roman calendar; kept in the Roman Martyrology or local calendars)
The Vatican record
- 6 December 2014 — Miracle through their intercession approved (decree list, 2014)
Who they were
Jeanne-Émilie de Villeneuve was born in Toulouse on 9 March 1811, the third daughter of a count and former naval officer, and grew up at the castle of Hauterive near Castres. She founded the Sisters of the Immaculate Conception of Castres and gave her life to the poor, the sick, prisoners and the exploited. She died on 2 October 1854.
The miracles
A young African woman — Barcelona, Spain — February 1995
A young African woman in hospital in Barcelona was healed of acute peritonitis through Mother Émilie's intercession. The Vatican's medical board found the healing unanimously inexplicable in 2006.
A little girl — Petrolina, Pernambuco, Brazil
A girl was electrocuted and suffered a prolonged cardiac and respiratory arrest. She recovered with no neurological damage, which the Vatican's medical board, on 6 March 2014, found unanimously to have no scientific explanation.
Why that counted as sanctity
The case of a young African woman was examined by the Church's doctors and theologians and approved as a miracle on 17 December 2007, opening the way to beatification. Beatification followed on 5 July 2009 by Benedict XVI. The case of a little girl was examined by the Church's doctors and theologians and approved as a miracle on 6 December 2014, opening the way to canonisation. Canonisation followed on 17 May 2015 by Francis.
- Dicastery for the Causes of Saints - biography of St Jeanne-Émilie de Villeneuve, with both miracles
- Holy See - homily at the canonisation of four Blesseds, 17 May 2015
- Dicastery for the Causes of Saints — promulgated decrees (causesanti.va), summarised in our own words
- Wikidata Q628093 — dates, feast day and identifiers (CC0)
- English Wikipedia — Émilie de Villeneuve (CC BY-SA)
Checked against the sources listed on 21 September 2026. Corrections welcome.