Vow of Louis XIII

On February 10, 1638, King Louis XIII declared that he would take the Virgin Mary as the protector of his Kingdom.

This text is a pure act of thanksgiving for the providential help that God has given him.

We have declared and declare that,
taking the most holy and glorious Virgin as the special protectress of our kingdom,
we consecrate to her in a particular way
our person, our State,
our crown and our subjects,
beseeching her to inspire us to behave in a holy manner
and to so diligently defend this kingdom
against the endeavours of all its enemies that,
whether it suffers the plague of war
or enjoys the sweetness of peace,
we implore God from the depth of our heart,
that it may never depart from the path of grace leading to the path of glory.

To keep the memory of this “Vow,” Louis XIII committed to the installation in the Cathedral of a new high altar dedicated to the Virgin and to renew this vow every year on the feast of the Assumption at the conclusion of a procession.

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