148 - MAINTENON (Françoise d'Aubigné, Marquise de), 1635–1719.

MAINTENON (Françoise d'Aubigné, Marquise de), 1635–1719. L.A.S. “Maintenon,” Versailles, February 25 [1691, according to a handwritten note in pencil], 1½ pages, in-4 format, to “Mad. Guion.” (Pinhole marks in the upper left corner.) A very interesting letter on the beginnings of Madame Guyon’s spiritual influence at Saint-Cyr and on the “great progress” of Mlle de La Maisonfort. Jeanne-Marie Bouvier de La Motte Guyon (1648–1717), a renowned mystic, developed a spirituality centered on interior prayer and surrender to God, which would place her at the heart of the Quietist controversy, alongside Fénelon in particular. Maintenon, who was initially sympathetic to her, introduced her to the circle at Saint-Cyr, where she exerted a profound influence on several “Dames de Saint-Louis” (tutors at the Royal House of Saint-Louis in Saint-Cyr). Maintenon notes here with kindness that she would serve as an intermediary between Mme Guyon and the Dames: “All your communications will pass through me; I would like to take advantage of this.” She even admits quite bluntly to having “stolen” a spiritual treatise on humility along the way in order to have a copy made, and assures Mme Guyon that she will find it “very good” (which illustrates the circulation of handwritten spiritual texts within the Saint-Cyr circle). Above all, she provides news of Mlle de La Maisonfort, Mme Guyon’s cousin and one of the individuals most receptive to her influence: “Mademoiselle de La Maisonfort is making great progress; she no longer sees anyone, she no longer asks for books, and she no longer complains of lacking time.” She also hopes to bring together Guyon, La Maisonfort, and the girls of Sainte-Marie de Saint-Denis. She concludes: “‘[…] Your instructions, Madame, will not divert our ladies from their duty. May God pour out His good spirit upon them.” The letter attests to the trust Maintenon still placed in Mme. Guyon’s teachings, before becoming alarmed by their spread at Saint-Cyr and breaking ties with her a few years later. Includes its original certificate of export for cultural property from the Ministry of Culture, indicating its provenance from the Charavay 814 catalog, December 1995, no. 44809.)