HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Leo Dupont (24 January 1797 – 18 March 1876), also known as "the holy man of Tours" or "the apostle of the Holy Face", was a
Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
layman In religious organizations, the laity () — individually a layperson, layman or laywoman — consists of all members who are not part of the clergy, usually including any non-ordained members of religious orders, e.g. a nun or a lay brother. ...
who helped spread various devotions such as that of the Holy Face of Jesus and the nightly Eucharistic adoration. He was declared
venerable ''The Venerable'' often shortened to Venerable is a style, title, or epithet used in some Christianity, Christian churches. The title is often accorded to holy persons for their spiritual perfection and wisdom. Catholic In the Catholic Churc ...
by
Pope Pius XII Pope Pius XII (; born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli; 2 March 18769 October 1958) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 2 March 1939 until his death on 9 October 1958. He is the most recent p ...
.


Early life

Leon Papin Dupont was born 24 January 1797 on the family sugar plantation in
Martinique Martinique ( ; or ; Kalinago language, Kalinago: or ) is an island in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the eastern Caribbean Sea. It was previously known as Iguanacaera which translates to iguana island in Carib language, Kariʼn ...
. His father was Nicholas Dupont, a wealthy and slave-owning French planter, his mother was a creole from Martinique, Marie-Louise Gaigneron de Marolles. His father died when Leo was six years old. Leon was schooled in Martinique and then for two years at a boarding school in the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
while the French Revolution went on. He was then sent to France to further his education at the College of Pontlevoy, near the Chateau of Chissay, which belonged to his maternal uncle, the Comte Gaigneron de Marolles. He was religious from an early age, but along with his one brother Theobald he studied law in Paris."The Life of Leon Papin-Dupont", (ed. Edw. H. Thompson), ''Library of Religious Biography'', Vol. VIII, Chap. I, Burns and Oates, London, 1882
/ref> He had inherited a considerable fortune from his father. During this period, Dupont met a number of religious figures including Saint Madeleine Sophie Barat, foundress of the Society of the Sacred Heart. Upon finishing his law degree, not having seen his mother for six years, he returned to Martinique, where he received an appointment as a councilor of the court. His younger brother Theobald died of a fever in 1823 when Leo was about twenty-four years old. In 1827, Leo Dupont married Caroline d'Andiffredi and, in 1832, they had a daughter, Henrietta. Caroline died about a year after Henrietta was born. After the death of his wife, Dupont and his mother moved to France and, in 1834, settled in
Tours Tours ( ; ) is the largest city in the region of Centre-Val de Loire, France. It is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Indre-et-Loire. The Communes of France, commune of Tours had 136,463 inhabita ...
, where the physician Pierre Bretonneau was a neighbor. He also made the acquaintance of William Palmer. Dupont established a law practice and became administrator of the
Cathedral A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...
property.Pierre Désiré Janvier, "The Life Of Leon Papin-Dupont: The Holy Man Of Tours", John Murphy & Co., 1882
/ref>


Religious focus

In July 1837, Dupont, his mother, and daughter visited his maternal uncle at the castle of Chissay-en-Touraine, where while gazing at a picture of
Teresa of Ávila Teresa of Ávila (born Teresa Sánchez de Cepeda Dávila y Ahumada; 28March 15154or 15October 1582), also called Saint Teresa of Jesus, was a Carmelite nun and prominent Spanish mystic and religious reformer. Active during the Counter-Re ...
, he reportedly experienced a spiritual enlightenment. Dupont joined the recently formed
Society of Saint Vincent de Paul The Society of Saint Vincent de Paul (SVP or SVdP or SSVP) is an international voluntary organization in the Catholic Church, founded in 1833 for the service of the poor. Started by Frédéric Ozanam and Emmanuel-Joseph Bailly de Surcy and named ...
, contributing large sums of money to it. Through his involvement with the society, he became involved in teaching night classes to tradesmen. In 1839, he wrote ''Faith Revived and Piety Reanimated Through the Eucharist''. Often while visiting the estate of his uncle, M. de Beauchamp, he would stop by the nearby Solesmes Abbey, where he became a close friend of Dom Prosper Guéranger. After making pilgrimages to a couple of Marian shrines in Normandy, in 1842 he published a guidebook on Marian shrines. In 1847, he made a pilgrimage to La Salette, then to the Grande Chartreuse, and later met with Jean Vianney. Every year Dupont would send his mother and daughter to the salt-baths at
Saint-Servan Saint-Servan (; often abbreviated as St. Servan; ) is a town of western France, in Brittany (administrative region), Brittany, situated 2 miles from the ferry port of Saint-Malo. It is renowned for its shops and restaurants. History In June 1758, ...
, and later join them. He also took Henrietta, at her request, to see
Mont-Saint-Michel Mont-Saint-Michel (; Norman: ''Mont Saint Miché''; ) is a tidal island and mainland commune in Normandy, France. The island lies approximately off France's north-western coast, at the mouth of the Couesnon River near Avranches and is in ...
. Henrietta was a student at the Ursuline Convent in Tours. When an epidemic broke out the students were sent home, but Henrietta soon took ill and despite Bretonneau's best efforts, died at the age of fifteen. Dupont donated a large part of what would have been his daughter's dowry to Jeanne Jugan, whom he had met in Saint-Servan. He invited her to establish a house for the Little Sisters of the Poor in Tours. Thereafter he remained a frequent contributor to the Little Sisters' charity for the poor and the elderly. In 1849, he helped establish nightly Eucharistic adoration in
Tours Tours ( ; ) is the largest city in the region of Centre-Val de Loire, France. It is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Indre-et-Loire. The Communes of France, commune of Tours had 136,463 inhabita ...
, with friends from the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul. His reputation as a Catholic activist and a helper of the poor spread within France and he was in contact with other French Catholics such as Saint Peter Julian Eymard, who was also an active proponent of spreading devotion to the
Holy Eucharist The Eucharist ( ; from , ), also called Holy Communion, the Blessed Sacrament or the Lord's Supper, is a Christian rite, considered a sacrament in most churches and an ordinance in others. Christians believe that the rite was instituted by J ...
. Dupont's charitable works and religious stance became so well known in France that he received many letters, often addressed to "The Holy Man of Tours" and the postmen knew where to deliver them. When Dupont came to Tours, the cult of
Martin of Tours Martin of Tours (; 316/3368 November 397) was the third bishop of Tours. He is the patron saint of many communities and organizations across Europe, including France's Third French Republic, Third Republic. A native of Pannonia (present-day Hung ...
had almost completely fallen into disuse. Two roads covered the location of St Martin's tomb, purposely constructed to obliterate the memory of St. Martin. Martin of Tours was, for Leo Dupont, the model of charity, and he desired to restore devotion to the Bishop of Tours, and begin the process for the eventual rebuilding of his basilica that had been destroyed by the Revolutionaries. Around 1848, following the suggestions of Mr. Dupont, the Cathedral of Tours began to restore the festivities surrounding the Feast of St. Martin on 11 November. He helped rebuild the Basilica of Saint Martin, Tours (which traces back to 472). Dupont also promoted the use of the
Saint Benedict Medal The Saint Benedict Medal is a Christianity, Christian sacramental devotional medal, medal containing symbols and text related to the life of Benedict of Nursia, Saint Benedict of Nursia, used by Roman Catholics, Old Catholic Church, Old Catholic ...
. He was never without several on his person, which he would give to those he might meet. He purchased them by the thousands and distributed them widely. Dupont's mother lived with him most of his life in Tours and she died in 1860.


Holy Face devotions

Apart from his charitable activities, Dupont is perhaps best known for spreading devotion to the Holy Face of Jesus. Dupont made frequent donations to the
Carmelites The Order of the Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel (; abbreviated OCarm), known as the Carmelites or sometimes by synecdoche known simply as Carmel, is a mendicant order in the Catholic Church for both men and women. Histo ...
in Tours and managed their business affairs. He thus heard of the reported visions of Jesus and Mary by the Carmelite nun Mary of Saint Peter from 1844 to 1847. Mary of Saint Peter was portress of the Carmel. They had in common a devotion to the
Infant Jesus The Christ Child—also known as Baby Jesus, Infant Jesus, Child Jesus, Divine Child, Divine Infant and the Holy Child—refers to Jesus Christ during his early years. The term refers to a period of Jesus' life, described in the canonical Gospe ...
; Mary of Saint Peter would give Dupont copies of The Little Gospel which he would then distribute. Based on this, Dupont started to burn a vigil lamp continuously before a picture of the Holy Face of Jesus based on the painted image on the Veil of Veronica. Dupont used that image because the existence of a clear image on the
Shroud of Turin The Shroud of Turin (), also known as the Holy Shroud (), is a length of linen cloth that bears a faint image of the front and back of a naked man. Because details of the image are consistent with depiction of Jesus, traditional depictions o ...
was not known to anyone at that time for the somewhat faded image of the face on the Shroud can not easily be seen with the naked eye and was only observed in May 1898 via the negative plate of Secondo Pia's first photograph. In 1851, Dupont formed the Archconfraternity of the Holy Face in Tours. He prayed for and promoted the case for a devotion to the Holy Face of Jesus for around 30 years. In 1874 Charles-Théodore Colet was appointed
Archbishop of Tours The Archdiocese of Tours (; ) is a Latin Church archdiocese of the Catholic Church in France. The archdiocese has roots that go back to the 3rd century, while the formal erection of the diocese dates from the 5th century. The ecclesiastical pro ...
. Archbishop Colet examined the documents pertaining to the life of Mary of Saint Peter and the devotion and in 1876 gave permission for them to be published and the devotion encouraged, shortly before Dupont died. After Dupont's death, the archbishop turned his oratory into a chapel, the Oratory of the Holy Face.


Death and veneration

By the end of his life, Dupont had donated most of his fortune to a number of charities, from the Carmelites to various orphanages, Society of Saint Vincent de Paul and the Little Sisters of the Poor. Leo Dupont died in 1876, aged 79. Upon his death, his house on Rue St. Etienne was purchased by the Archdiocese of Tours and turned into the Oratory of the Holy Face. Archbishop Colet approved of a congregation, called the Priests of the Holy Face, to administer to the chapel. The congregation was canonically erected in 1876 and Father Peter Javier, a friend of Dupont, was appointed as its director. Father Javier wrote a biography of Dupont and one of Mary of St Peter and the devotion to the Holy Face. These books were widely distributed and started the spread of the devotion. Years later, the books influenced Therese of Lisieux. The devotion to the Holy Face of Jesus was approved by Pope
Leo XIII Pope Leo XIII (; born Gioacchino Vincenzo Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2March 181020July 1903) was head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 until his death in July 1903. He had the fourth-longest reign of any pope, behind those of Peter the A ...
in 1885.Joan Carroll Cruz, ''Relics'', OSV Press, 1984, page 57 Dupont's spiritual writings were approved by theologians on 3 February 1937. The case for his canonization was presented to the
Congregation for the Causes of Saints In the Catholic Church, the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, previously named the Congregation for the Causes of Saints (), is the dicastery of the Roman Curia that oversees the complex process that leads to the canonization of saints, passi ...
on 21 June 1939, granting him the title of
Servant of God Servant of God () is a title used in the Catholic Church to indicate that an individual is on the first step toward possible canonization as a saint. Terminology The expression ''Servant of God'' appears nine times in the Bible, the first five in ...
. The
Holy See The Holy See (, ; ), also called the See of Rome, the Petrine See or the Apostolic See, is the central governing body of the Catholic Church and Vatican City. It encompasses the office of the pope as the Bishops in the Catholic Church, bishop ...
later declared him Venerable and he now awaits beatification. His feast day is 1 December.


Legacy

The devotion to the Holy Face of Jesus that Dupont promoted continued to flourish after his death. In the 1930s, an Italian nun, Sister Maria Pierina, associated the image of the Holy Face of Jesus from the
Shroud of Turin The Shroud of Turin (), also known as the Holy Shroud (), is a length of linen cloth that bears a faint image of the front and back of a naked man. Because details of the image are consistent with depiction of Jesus, traditional depictions o ...
with the devotion.
Pope Pius XII Pope Pius XII (; born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli; 2 March 18769 October 1958) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 2 March 1939 until his death on 9 October 1958. He is the most recent p ...
approved the new image in 1958 and declared the Feast of the Holy Face of Jesus as Shrove Tuesday (the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday) for all Roman Catholics. 1950 saw the foundation of the Benedictine Sisters of Reparation of the Holy Face, whose aim is an "unceasing effort to stand beside the endless crosses on which the Son of God continues to be crucified". Dupont's efforts in spreading the devotion to the Holy Face of Jesus are chronicled in the book ''The Holy Man of Tours'' by Dorothy Scallan.''The Holy Man of Tours''
amazon.com. Accessed 9 August 2023.


References


Sources

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dupont, Leo Catholic spirituality Visions of Jesus and Mary Catholic devotions Venerated Catholics by Pope John Paul II History of Tours, France 1797 births 1876 deaths