The Feast of St. Genevieve of Paris

I found this image on the world wide web...at a site called awesomestories. It said, "Image of a painting of St. Genevieve, created in 1821 for the Louveciennes Chapel in Louveciennes, France." I don't mean to dabble in any copyright issues, so they get full credit for it. Isn't it lovely?

St. Genevieve lived approximately 422-500 A.D. She is credited with saving Paris, and is therefore one of its patron saints. In this picture, we see her deep in prayer...and her prayers had a very practical and visible outcome.

"Upon the report of the march of Attila with his army of Huns the Parisians were preparing to abandon their city, but St. Genevieve, like a Christian Judith or Esther, encouraged them to avert the scourge by fasting and prayer. Many of her own sex passed whole days with her in prayer in the baptistery...She assured the people of the protection of Heaven, and though she was treated by many as an impostor, the event verified the prediction, for the barbarous invader suddenly changed the course of his march."

~ Butler's Lives of the Saints, edited by Thurston & Attwater, imprimatur 1953.