Life and Martyrdom of two Daughters of Charity of the hospital at Angers, France

1. Who are the
two Blessed
Daughters of
Charity,
martyrs of
Angers?

2. Sister Marie-Anne
VAILLOT, 60, was from
Fontainebleau where
her father was a mason.

3. She entered the postulancy
of the Daughters of Charity
in Paris, at the age of 27.

4. She was sent to
Fontenay-le-Comte, then
to Longue and to Saint-
Pierre-Montlimart, then
to the Saint-Jean
d'Angers hospital, in the
pharmacy office.

5. Sister Odile
BAUMGARTEN, 43
years old, was born in
Gondrexange in
Lorraine to a miller
father.

6. At the age of 24, she
entered the postulancy
of the Daughters of
Charity in Metz and
served for a few months
at the Brest Naval
Hospital before being
appointed to the Saint-
Jean d'Angers hospital.

7. The Revolutionary
Committee kept
hassling the 39 Sisters
of the hospital because
of their refusal to swear
the Oath of Liberty of
August 14, 1792.

8. The Committee was thinking of replacing
them with more patriotic laity, but no
women showed up when the jobs were
posted at the town hall.

9. On January 19, 1794,
the Revolutionary
Committee ordered the
arrest of the superior,
Sister Antoinette
Tailhade, and Sisters
Marie-Anne Vaillot and
Odile Baumgarten,
whose “treacherous
suggestions and evil
statements” allegedly
hindered other Sisters
from taking the Oath.

10. Sister Marie-Anne
and Sister Odile were
questioned by the
terrible Vacheron, the
judge of the Military
Commission.

11. "My conscience does not allow
me" to take an oath, replied
Sister Marie-Anne, adding: "I
made the sacrifice to leave my
parents at an early age to come
to the service of the poor. I made
the sacrifice to take off my habit
and wear the national cockade.”
(A cockade was a circular knot of
ribbons usually worn on a hat, to
show the allegiance of the wearer to
some political faction.)

12. The minutes of the
interrogation say that
"Vacheron got carried
away in a fury" and had
a military policeman
tear off her cockade,
saying: “You really don’t
know that the law
punishes those who are
disobedient with
death?!”

13. Sister Odile gave the same
answer as her sister and
Vacheron had her take off
the cockade as well. For
each of them, the reason
for the death sentence was
the same: "Did not take the
oath, does not want to do
it, does not fear that we will
dispose of her no matter
what. In her answers one
easily recognizes that she
is a fanatic and rebel to the
laws of her country... "

14. Both were part of the
seventh shooting
which took place four
days later, 1 February.

15. The tradition, according
to the journal of M.
Gruget, is that they
walked the "road of
silence" tied by a rope
two by two and Sister
Odile, fearing she would
lack courage, was
comforted by Sister
Marie-Anne. This scene
is depicted in one of the
stained glass windows
of the chapel of the
Champ des Martyrs.

16. It is also said that the
execution commander
wanted to pardon them,
offering to lead the
Commission to believe
that they had taken the
oath, but that the
Sisters refused.

17. Source:
Vincentiana: Vol. 28 : No. 1, Article 1.
Available at: https://via.library.depaul.edu/vincentiana/vol28/iss1/1