DAILY DEVOTIONS, LIFELONG FAITH

The Real Marie Antoinette | feat. Elena Maria Vidal

01 May 2023

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Catholic historian and writer Elena Maria Vidal sets the record straight on the oft-maligned Catholic Queen of France and martyr of the Revolution. While candidly acknowledging the queen’s faults, Elena’s work paints a portrait of Marie Antoinette in all her complexity.

Drawing from her years of research, Elena discusses:

  • Popular misconceptions about the queen, then and now
  • The origin of the “let them eat cake” rumor
  • What modern TV series and movies get wrong
  • Marie Antoinette’s strong Catholic faith and moral character, and many recorded charitable works
  • The deeply Catholic milieu of the French court and its role in Christendom
  • The truly demonic nature of the French Revolution and its pagan “Cult of Reason”
  • How the queen was able to secretly receive the sacraments before her death
  • Marie Antoinette’s piety and equanimity at the guillotine

Elena has written several books about Marie Antoinette and her family, including two novels and a biography. They are available at the links below:

Marie-Antoinette, Daughter of the Caesars: Her Life, Her Times, Her Legacy

Trianon:  A Novel of Royal France

Madame Royale

Her latest research focuses on the Stuart dynasty. She blogs at https://teaattrianon.blogspot.com/.

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Image: Marie Antoinette in a Chemise Dress by Elisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun 

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Kristen Van Uden is the editor of Catholic Exchange and author spokesperson at Sophia Institute Press. She has degrees in History and Russian from Saint Anselm College and the College of William & Mary, and studies the persecution of Catholics under communist regimes. Her first book, When the Sickle Swings: Stories of Catholics Who Survived Communist Oppression, was published by Sophia Institute Press in November 2023. She has been featured on a wide range of media platforms including Coast to Coast AMFirst Things, and Sensus Fidelium. Book information, original articles, and links to interviews can be found at her Substack, On the Wheel.

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