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Autobiography of Madam Guyon

Madame Jeanne Marie Guyon

Madame Guyon (Jeanne Marie Bouvier de la Mothe) (1648-1717) was an influential French mystic and author. She was born near Orléans, and was educated in a convent, where she demonstrated ascetic and mystical tendencies. Her desire was to join a monastic order, but in 1664 she was forced into a marriage with a rich man, Jacques Guyon. Independently she continued her ascetic practices – including harsh physical discipline; eventually, under the guidance of a Benedictine prioress, she undertook a vow of mystical marriage with Christ, which lasted long after her husband's death. In 1680 she came under the direction of Père la Combe of the Barnabite order, with whom she preached and spoke of her visions and revelations. Several times she was imprisoned for heresy, before being released in 1703. Her teachings remain inspiring and controversial – rooted in a profound God-centered attitude of self-surrender (often termed "quietist") – very much in the tradition of female mystics of the Church.

Madame Guyon's autobiography.

This autobiography, Vie de Madame Guyon, originally published in 1720 in three volumes, is a primary source of Madame Guyon's life and an inspiring work in its own right. Her life is chronicled from her early childhood to several years after her final release from imprisonment – it leaves off in 1709, eight years before her death. The work was initiated by Père la Combe of the Barnabite order, whom she met in 1680 after the death of her husband, and who became her spiritual director. The autobiography describes in detail the interior experiences which she underwent from her early years, through the marriage which was forced upon her, and during the years under la Combe's guidance. From 1681 through 1703 were years of ministry and persecution both, which tested her faith and spiritual experience greatly, during which time she was accused of heresy, arrested and imprisoned on several occasions. Throughout these historical narrative details provide the fabric for a true spiritual autobioagraphy.

Inspirational & Devotional

Autobiography