Delphina of Signe, Bl.
DELPHINA OF SIGNE, BL.
Franciscan tertiary; b. Puy-Michel (Provence), 1283 or 1284; d. Apt, France, Nov. 26, 1358 or 1360. In 1299 Delphina, daughter of Count William of Glandèves, was married to elzÉar of sabran, with whom she lived in continence. In 1317 Elzéar was summoned to the court of King Robert of Naples, where Delphina formed a lifelong friendship with Queen Sanchia. After the death of Elzéar (1323), she returned to Provence and lived as a recluse in absolute poverty, devoting herself to works of mercy. After many sufferings and a long last illness, she was buried beside Elzéar in Apt. Her iconography shows the symbols of her noble rank and Franciscan affiliation. In 1694 Innocent XII confirmed her cult, which had been introduced under Urban V.
Feast: Sept. 26; in order, Dec. 9.
Bibliography: Acta Sanctorum, Sept. 7:50l–519. l. wadding, Scriptores Ordinis Minorum, 86 v. (Lyons 1625–54) 6:280–289; 8:172. g. duhamelet, Saint Elzéar et la b. Delphine (Paris 1944). b. de gaiffier, Analecta Bollandiana 65 (1947) 179–180. a. butler, The Lives of the Saints, rev. ed. h. thurston and d. attwater (New York, 1956) 3:661–662. t. de morembert, Dictionnaire d'histoire et de géographie ecclésiastiques, ed. a. baudrillart et al. (Paris 1912–) 15:366–368.
[m. f. laughlin]