Louis IX (1214-1270) was King of France from 1226 to 1270. Deeply pious, he governed with justice and equity, protecting the poor and reforming the kingdom. He founded several charitable institutions and had the Sainte-Chapelle built to house Christ's Crown of Thorns. Engaged in the Crusades, he led the seventh (1248-1254) and the eighth (1270) to the Holy Land, where he died of illness in Tunis. He was canonized in 1297 by Pope Boniface VIII for his piety and sense of Christian duty. He is the patron saint of kings, artisans, and France. His cult was important in Lorraine and eastern France.
