Gallery: St. John Gabriel Perboyre

John Gabriel Perboyre was born on January 6, 1802 in his family's farm home in the town of Puech, parish of Montgesty, Diocese of Cahors, France. Despite the farm's small size and rocky soil, the family managed to raise wheat, barley and grapes and had a small flock of sheep.

The parish church at Montgesty where John Gabriel was baptized and later made his first Communion. At that time and in that area, typically students were permitted to make their first Communnion between the ages of 14 and 16, and only after strict catechism examinations. His pastor allowed John Gabriel to make his first Communion when he was only 10 years old.

On the right side of the bell tower of the parish church at Montgesty is a door leading to a closed atrium which has the baptistry in which John Gabriel Perboyre was baptized. A cabinet, shown at left, shows text recording his baptism on 7 January 1802.

At left, the tomb of John Gabriel on Red Mountain. Local wars in 1858 causes Bishop de la Place of Chekiang Province, China to send the body to Paris. Because of the wars, all tombstones in the Catholic cemetery on Red Mountain were confiscated for building extended city walls as protection against enemies. However, three tombstones were found intact; one was that of John Gabriel Perboyre.

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