On Sunday evening, 28 September 2025, a large crowd gathered at Saint-Malo Church in Dinan, Côtes d’Armor, France, in response to an invitation extended to friends of Claude Toussaint de la Garaye and Marguerite Picquet de la Motte. There, their story was dramatised with the participation of the musical group AVELIG.
This invitation recalled the reason for the interest in this couple: “On 22 September 2024, investigations for the beatification of the La Garaye couple were opened. In the 18th century, this wealthy couple worked for more than 40 years in the service of the poor. Their castle in Taden (located 2 km north of Dinan) became a hospital: they transformed the lives of the inhabitants and advanced medicine. But above all, they put God first and became bearers of faith. The poor were their brothers and sisters in Christ.”
The staging of this story, performed by a few actors, consisted of music, stories and songs of great quality, illustrated by photos of the couple, the castle of Taden and its surroundings. Upon his father’s death, Claude became the sole heir to the castle, the fortune and the title of Count. His life was now filled with pleasures: receptions, music and, above all, hunting parties… in which Marguerite also took part.
In 1702, following Marguerite’s hunting accident with serious consequences, their lives changed. Against a musical backdrop, the narrator evokes the count’s realisations: faced with the fragility of life, he begins to ask himself essential questions, which are echoed in a song attributed to the Count: ‘In life, seek a glimmer of light, an open heart, a song that moves me, God is there.’
In 1710, another blow struck: the count’s sister had just given birth; a few days later, her husband collapsed. Claude accompanied the family and deepened his reflection: How can one be happy? Where is the secret to happiness? A song provides the answer: ‘God, it is you who unifies, who supports me, who guides me. You have given me the joy of knowing who I am, and through you, who I will be. Oh, oh, oh, you love me, through you I will become…’ Marguerite shares his journey.
Death bore fruit. Both questioned their lives of pleasure, decided to renounce their lives of vanity, and sought happiness in a concrete way. To illuminate their path, each decided to take time for a spiritual retreat. Upon their return, both decided to dedicate their lives to the sick and the poor. A song follows with the refrain, ‘Their “yes” joined together to become one. See… Look!’ Upon their return to Taden, they transform the castle: the stables are emptied, the horses sold, and these premises become a hospital to care for the sick and welcome the poor. Marguerite prepares meals and cleans the house.
In 1714, Claude decided to train himself to care for the sick competently and prepare remedies… Then, from the castle chapel, we hear the hymn ‘Ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est…’ The refrain is taken up this evening in the church of Dinan by the whole congregation. This is followed by the song of thanksgiving: ” Blessed are you who have done this, my life becomes salt and light…
The couple remained open to the life around them: at ‘Petit Bon Espoir’, they opened a school for children, entrusted to the Daughters of the Holy Spirit, who responded to the count’s call and left the house where their order was founded in Légué (near Saint-Brieuc) for the first time. The count created jobs for the poor of Taden, where humanity gave way to the divine… Praying together to the God of love and goodness was part of their daily life.
And it was while listening to the litany of the saints being sung that the congregation bore witness to the holiness of the La Garaye couple.
The evening ended with a reading from Matthew 25: the concrete actions mentioned in the passage invite us to return to those performed by the La Garaye couple… Then the assembly joined the actors in a customary prayer to Claude and Marguerite.
An extraordinary evening that allowed participants to share in the joy and light of this couple, their deep admiration for such a radical conversion, and their thanksgiving!
Jeanne LANDURḖ, DHS. Published on 1 October 2025
