The last wishes of the daughter of Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette (Via
Vive le Reine.)
In the name of the Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Ghost … I
submit in all things to the will of Providence. I do not fear death;
and, lacking merit of my own, I place all my trust in the mercy of God,
praying of him for time and grace to receive the sacraments of the
Church with fervent piety …
I die in the Roman Catholic and Apostolic religion, in which I have
lived as faithfully as I had power, and to which I owe all the
consolations of my life.
… After the example of my parents, I pardon, with my entire soul, and
without exception, all those who have injured or offended me; sincerely
praying God to extend to them His mercy, and to me also, for the pardon
of my sins. To all the faithful French who have remained attached to my
family and to myself, I leave thanks for the devotedness, the
sufferings, and the penalties they have endured in our cause.
I pray God to shower down his blessings upon France—France, that I
have never ceased to love even under my bitterest afflictions.
I thank the Emperor of Austria for the asylum which he accorded in
his dominions to me and my family. I am grateful for the proofs of
interest and friendship which I have received from the imperial family,
especially under circumstances of deep sorrow; and not less so for the
sentiments manifested by a great number of his subjects, more especially
the inhabitants of Goritz …
Having always considered my nephew Henri and my niece Louisa as my
children, I give them my maternal benediction. They have had the
happiness of being educated in our holy religion: may they continue in
fidelity to it, worthy decedents of St. Louis.
May my nephew consecrate his happy faculties to the accomplishment of
the great duties imposed on him by his position! May he never wander
from the paths of moderation, of justice, and of truth!
I institute my nephew Henri my universal legatee. It is my wish that
my remains be deposited at Goritz, in the vault of the Franciscans,
between those of my husband and his father.
Let no solemn service be celebrated on my account. All that I desire are masses for the salvation of my soul. (Read more.)
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4 comments:
One of the worst crimes of France was its treatment of this poor lady. No one should have a life like her. It speaks volumes that every country BUT France had a high regard for her and treated her with kindness and respect. Even today Napoleon II is regarded as a Frenchmen and buried with honor in France next to his father even though he lived basically all his life as an Austrian. While Marie-Therese exiled again and again is buried in Slovenia and is barely remembered.
I could not agree more.
I have been trying to trace the current location of the portrait of the Duchesse d'Angouleme in Nov. 10, 2014 post; she's wearing a red dress, facing right, and wearing a pearl necklace and pearl diadem and a pearl brooch with white plumes in her hair. This portrait was in the Bourbon collection at Frohsdorf in Austria for many years, and was sold at Sothebys in 1938, when Princess Beatrice de Bourbon-Massimo dispersed the collection of the Comte de Chambord. Can anyone assist?
So sorry, I cannot. But I will watch for information on the web.
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