Claudine Thévenet

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Claudine Thévenet (1774–1837) was a French Catholic nun who founded the Religious of Jesus and Mary. Born in Lyon, she witnessed the cruelty of the French Revolution, including the execution of two of her brothers. Their forgiveness inspired her to help others, especially girls.

With priest André Coindre, she helped create a group to educate and care for poor children and orphans. In 1818 the group became the Religious of Jesus and Mary on the Croix-Rousse hill, and Thévenet took the religious name Mary of Saint Ignatius. The community moved to Fourvière in 1820.

Thévenet served as the order’s leader until her death in 1837. The congregation gradually received church approval, and she was beatified in 1981 and canonized as a saint in 1993 by Pope John Paul II. Her Religious of Jesus and Mary continues to educate girls and care for children around the world.