Jeanne was a nun, a wife, a mother, and the founder of a religious order. Her father, the president of parliament in Dijon, France, became the primary factor in determining her educational path after her mother passed away when she was just 18 months old. Jane evolved into a beautiful, elegant woman with a vivacious and upbeat demeanor. She married Baron de Chantal at the age of 21, and the couple had six children together, three of whom died as infants. She reinstated the practice of daily Mass at her castle and actively participated in several philanthropic endeavors.

Jeanne was married to her husband for seven years before he was tragically killed in a hunting accident. After her husband's death, Jeanne went through a period of mourning and deep sadness. Her father-in-law, angered by her refusal to return to his home, threatened to disinherit her children if she did not comply. Despite these challenges, Jeanne remained resilient and eventually turned her focus toward her faith.

At the age of 32, Jeanne met Saint Francis de Sales, who became her spiritual director. Under his guidance, she embarked on a path of spiritual growth and service. While she initially wanted to become a nun, St. Francis de Sales advised her to defer that decision for the time being. Instead, she took a vow to remain unmarried and to obey her spiritual director, aligning her life more closely with her faith.

After three years, Francis revealed to Jeanne his desire to build a women's institute that would serve as a refuge for individuals whose health, age, or other factors prevented them from joining the already-existing communities. They would be free to perform both spiritual and physical acts of kindness since there would be no cloister. They were particularly supposed to demonstrate Mary's Visitation characteristics of humility and meekness (hence their name, the Visitation nuns).

Francis de Sales was forced to create a cloistered community following Saint Augustine's Rule because of the customary hostility to women serving in active ministry. For them, Francis penned his renowned Treatise on the Love of God. When Jeanne was 45 years old, the three-woman congregation officially started. She experienced severe hardship as Francis de Sales passed away, her son was murdered, France was engulfed in a plague, and both her daughter-in-law and son-in-law perished. The resources of her convent were all made available to the sick, and she urged the local government to exert tremendous effort on behalf of the plague victims.

Jeanne had to go through severe spiritual tribulations, including inward suffering, darkness, and spiritual dryness, during a period of her convent life. She died on December 13, 1641, while visiting local convents, and the Catholic Church recognized her as a saint in 1767. Her feast day is celebrated on August 12th. In Annecy's Visitation Church, her body is revered alongside that of St. Francis de Sales. St. Jeanne de Chantal is the patron saint of mothers, widows, and wives.

Other Saints of the Day
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Saint Cassian of Benevento
Saint Porcarius
Saint Anicetus
Saint Eusebius of Milan