Saint Marie of Oignies

Marie of Oignies (Maria Ogniacensis, born Nivelles, now Belgium, 1177, died 1213) was a Beguine saint, known from the Life written by James of Vitry for Bishop Fulk of Toulouse. Marie "did not live a cloistered life following an approved rule, but rather adopted a free form of devout life marked by strenuous asceticism and manual labour, as well as mystical gifts of a new kind." Marie is purported to have received many visions from God, experienced ecstasy and wept uncontrollably when meditating on the Passion of Christ. She did not eat meat, dressed in white clothes, and mortified her flesh in acts of penance. Her life was recorded as early as 1215 by her confessor, Jacques de Vitry. His account helped gain papal approval for the Beguines. Marie was born into a family of wealth in the Liège diocese of Nivelles (in modern-day Belgium) in 1176. Her parents dressed her in elegant clothing, suitable for nobility; however, Marie became distraught by the extravagant luxury. She recalled scripture specifically referencing the offenses of 1 Peter 3:3 and 1 Timothy 2:9, which chastise one for wearing costly attire. From a young age, Marie was attracted to the monastic life and was mocked by her parents for being such a serious and pious child. She sequestered herself from other children, preferring the solitude of prayer. The vowed religious of the Cistercian order greatly captivated her attention as they traveled by her home. Marie was married at the age of fourteen to Jean de Nivelle, as a way for her parents to discourage her deep spiritual interests. This marriage and freedom from her mother and father was a pivotal point for Marie's spirituality – she became engulfed in a deeper passion for expressing her spirituality. In addition to emotional sacrifice of prayer and meditation, part of her devotion included physical punishment. Such pains she inflicted were sleep deprivation, sleeping on wooden planks, and wearing a tight rope around her midsection.