About Eva Lavaliere (1866-1929):
Eva was known as one of the most beautiful and admired women in France. Addicted to alcohol and tobacco, she was the lover of several men, including a marquis and a baron. Her life of sin made her utterly miserable. One night, after achieving one of her greatest triumphs in the theater before thousands of spectators, she felt so unhappy for lacking peace in her heart that she threw herself into the river to take her own life.
Fortunately, someone saved her life, and when she confessed to a priest, Christ Jesus restored peace to her soul. The happiness she had not found amid applause and sins, she discovered in a confessional upon feeling forgiven by the Lord. After a life of emptiness, she became Catholic in 1918 and joined the Secular Franciscan Order, taking the name Eva of Jesus.
She died in 1929 and her body had the odor of sanctity (a sweet, heavenly fragrance—often described as roses, lilies, or violets—emanates from the body, relics, or surroundings of a saintly person, especially during their life or upon death).
Known for her dramatic life shift from theater to a life of repentance, she is buried here in the churchyard of Église Saint Martin (Church of Saint Martin). Her grave is located at the base of the church wall.
Traveling to Église Saint Martin in Chanceaux-sur-Choisille, France:
Chanceaux-sur-Choisille is located just 9.2 miles (14.9 km) north of Tours in the Loire Valley and is easily accessible by car.
Church address: Rue de la Maria, 37390, Chanceaux-sur-Choisille, France.
Church phone number: (+33) 2-4756-1955