The Sisters of Nazareth roots can be traced back to 1851 when Victoire Larmenier, a young novice in Rennes, France was sent to England.
Victoire Larmenier Mother St. Basil
Foundress and 1st Superior General
Victoire Larmenier was born on 21st July 1827 at Liffré, near Rennes, the capital of Brittany, in France. Her father was a marine carpenter and wood trader, and the family lived comfortably in a small hamlet on the fringe of the Liffré state forest. She was educated at the village school until her early teens. After the death of her father in 1838 and the re-marriage of her mother a few years later, she was sent as a boarder to the Ursuline convent at Vitré. There she received a sound secondary education with an emphasis on commercial subjects. After leaving school, she worked as a secretary and book-keeper at her stepfather’s tailoring business in Liffré.
In 1845 Victoire left home and set up a small haberdashery business in Rennes. Her shop was located in the parish of Toussaints in the poorest part of the town. Here, her religious vocation developed under the influence of Father Gandon, one of the curates.
The Little Sisters of the Poor had recently established a house to care for the elderly poor in Rennes and Victoire became acquainted with them and their work. Saint Jeanne Jugan, their foundress, was in Rennes during this time and worshipped at Toussaints. Victoire was influenced by the commitment to the poor of the Toussaints clergy and the Rennes Little Sisters of the Poor. With Father Gandon’s encouragement, Victoire gave up her successful business and entered the Paris novitiate of the Little Sisters of the Poor in February 1851.
London Foundation
After a few months in the novitiate, Victoire and three other Sisters were sent to start a foundation in London. This was in response to a request from the London branch of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, strongly supported by Cardinal Wiseman, the first Archbishop of Westminster. Within a few months, she was appointed as the first Superior. The foundation, despite its lack of resources, gradually gathered poor old people into its care.
First Nazareth House
After three moves in central and west London, the Sisters eventually built the first Nazareth House at Hammersmith which opened in October 1857. By this time, the Sisters also cared for poor and infirm children, greatly supported by Father Claude Bernin, a former Marist, who was their Superior during these years.
Sisters of Nazareth
In 1861, after protracted and difficult negotiations, the Holy See allowed the Hammersmith community to separate from the Little Sisters of the Poor to form an independent pious society of laywomen. After a further three years, the Hammersmith sisters were recognised as a Diocesan religious community known as the Sisters of Nazareth.
Within a short period, the mission had extended and houses were opened in Aberdeen, Scotland in 1862; Cardiff, Wales in 1872 and Belfast, Northern Ireland in 1876. Under Victoire’s leadership, eight Nazareth Houses were founded in England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland. Requests to open more houses were turned down to avoid overstretching resources and to maintain the Sisters’ well-being. During this time, Victoire also selected and trained her assistant, Mother Mary of the Nativity, to be her successor, a position she held for thirty years.
In June 1878, aged fifty, Victoire Larmenier died leaving behind the strong roots she had established.
Pontifical approval of the Sisters of Nazareth was given on 3rd August 1881 and the institute was afforded the status of a Congregation on 23rd December 1890.
Continuing Growth and Notable Events
The Congregation continued to expand, this time globally. In 1882, the first overseas Nazareth House was founded in Cape Town, South Africa. This was followed in 1888 by Ballarat, Australia, in 1905 by Christchurch, New Zealand, in 1924 by San Diego, America, and in 1937 by Harare, Zimbabwe.
One of the most important events in our history was the visit of Saint Pope John Paul II at Nazareth House, Manchester, in 1982.
In 2021, the canonisation process for Victoire Larmenier commenced. Today, she is known as Servant of God, Victoire Larmenier.
This story does not start with Victoire Larmenier. It starts with God who inspired a young woman to give up all to follow Him along the path He set for her. Her charism, vision, mission and values are His as he planted them within her and gave her the holiness, courage, strength, humility and integrity to walk in the direction He would lead her. Victoire’s charism, vision, mission and values live on today in those who continue to follow her.
More information on the history of Sisters of Nazareth and Victoire Larmenier can be found in the book Victoire Larmenier: Spirit and Vision.