Louise Lateau

Louise Lateau

Louise Lateau is by far the best-known Belgian stigmatic: she was the topic of heated discussions during her lifetime and afterwards, with numerous works published on her. Born in Bois d’Haine on 29 January 1850, Anne-Louise Lateau was the daughter of a railway worker who died from smallpox shortly after her birth. Louise, her mother and two sisters struggled to survive and Louise only attended school for 6 months. From 1860 onwards, she helped out on farms in the neighbourhood, and during one of these jobs she was trampled by a cow, leaving her with a bent spine. Despite her own physical suffering, she loved to take care of others, and during the cholera epidemic of 1866, her work for the sick was particularly noted and praised. Louise trained as a seamstress and joined the third order of Saint Francis on 1 December 1867.
In the following years, her health deteriorated. Louise became very sick (headaches, physical pains) and by March 1868 she was spitting blood. Against all expectations, she survived. However, on the last Friday of April 1868, she began to bleed from her side and in the following weeks the bleeding reappeared, now including her hands and feet. From July onwards, she also went into ecstasy and witnessed Christ’s Passion. Thousands of people came to see her, among them physicians, members of the clergy and lay believers. Her suffering was linked with political causes (e.g. suffering of the German Catholics in the new state) and the Catholic Church (e.g. attacks on Rome). The bishop initiated a brief investigation, conducted by theologians and medical experts. Commission member, Dr Lefebvre, from the Medical Faculty of Leuven, published a report in which he stated that he could not find a medical explanation and left the case open for the Church to decide. The report attracted the attention of the Belgian Royal Academy of Medicine, which began its own examination in 1874-1875 (the very diverse opinions on the case were published in its periodical).
From March 1871, Louise ate and drank little, apart from taking the Holy Communion. From 1876 onwards, she could no longer go out, and three years later, she was confined to her bed. Her condition deteriorated in January 1883 and she died in August of the same year. Allegedly, 5000 people attended her funeral, and her grave still attracts visitors. In 1991, the bishop created a diocesan commission with the intention of introducing her case for beatification. The Vatican responded nunc non opportunet.
Lachapelle, Sofie, 2004. ‘Between miracle and sickness: Louise Lateau and the experience of stigmata and ecstasy.’ Configurations 12, pp. 77-105.
Klaniczay, Gabor, 2013. ‘Louise Lateau et les stigmatisés du XIXème siècle’. Discorsi sulle stimmate dal Medioevo all’età contemporanea, ed. G. Klaniczay, Archivio italiano per la storia della pietà 26. Rome: Edizioni di Storia e Letteratura, pp.279-319.