Antoinette Desmoulins, better known by her monastic name Sister Aldegonde Desmoulins, was a French Benedictine nun of the Abbaye de la Paix Notre-Dame de Liège (Abbey of Peace Notre-Dame, Liège).
Antoinette Desmoulins | |
|---|---|
| Personal | |
| Born | March 1, 1611 |
| Died | December 5, 1692 (aged 81) |
| Religion | Christianity |
| Nationality | French |
| Known for | literary, musical, architectural works |
| Monastic name | Aldegonde Desmoulins |
| Organization | |
| Order | Order of Saint Benedict |
| Senior posting | |
| Initiation | November 12, 1640 |
Biography
editDesmoulins was born on 1 March 1611 in the city of Mons, France, to a local painter named Jean Desmoulins.[1] According to a community register, she was both literate and capable artistically before her entry into the Benedictine Order.[2] When she did join a nunnery, it was in Liège, rather than her hometown of Mons. There, she was received without the need for a dowry on account of her skills in artistic and intellectual abilities.[3]
Works
editAs a member of the Abbey of Peace, Desmoulins produced a wide array of artistic and musical work. Her work focused on the areas of writing, drawing, painting, and architecture. Musically, she wrote spiritual verses about past saints and composed hymns to be sung in local churches. Along with the other sisters, she painted on woodblocks and illuminated manuscripts. She also decorated liturgical vestments with gold and silk thread, both for use within the Abbey or for donation.[3]
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Some time after being elected in 1657, Abbess of Notre-Dame de Liège Madame Counotte requested that Desmoulins draw up plans for a new church building. With the help of sculptor Arnold du Hontoir to decorate the church, Sister Desmoulins began preparing a design for the community church around 1675.[2] She would go on to become the project manager of the undertaking, and the church was finished in 1690.[4]
References
edit- ^ "L'ÉGLISE DES BÉNÉDICTINES DE LIÈGE". Bulletin de l'Institut archéologique liégeois. 38. 1852 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ a b Piront, Julie (2018). "Nuns in the Modern Era: Architects, Site Managers and Laborers". Livraisons d'Histoire de l'Architecture. 35: 29–40 – via OpenEdition Journals.
- ^ a b Piront, Julie (2018). "Antoinette Desmoulins". Dictionnaire des Femmes de l’Ancienne France. Retrieved 3 March 2022.
- ^ "History of the Abbey". Benedictines of Liege. Retrieved 2 March 2022.