This article is one in a series, French Language and the Lewis and Clark Expedition, by Lewis and Clark Trail Digital Interns.
Author: Andrew Fournier
Ste. Genevieve was named for the patron saint of Paris, who lived during the 5th century AD. Interestingly, in the 17th and 18th centuries, around the time that explorers were settling the area, Sainte Genevieve figured largely in the minds of the French. Houck (1908) noted that all the French settlers were strict and exemplary Catholics (277).
Sainte Genevieve was born around 422, and she is commemorated on January 3 within the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches. According to her narrative, Sainte Genevieve was known for her generosity to the poor. She gave so much that when she passed the age of 50, her bishops commanded her to add fish and milk to her diet. On more than one occasion, candles were known to light spontaneously in her hand, which is why many icons represent Sainte Genevieve as holding a candle. In 451, due to the approaching armies of Attila the Hun, Sainte Genevieve led the women of Paris in prayer and fasting. Attila the Hun instead moved to Orleans, where they were defeated. Consequently, she is the patron saint of Paris. Sainte Genevieve died in 512 at the age of 80.
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
