Walk into the Chapel of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal on the Rue du Bac in Paris, and you'll see something that stops most tourists cold. It’s a glass coffin. Inside lies the st vincent de paul body, or at least, what appears to be it. He looks peaceful. His hands are folded. His face looks remarkably "fresh" for a man who died in 1660.
But here’s the thing. If you think you’re looking at perfectly preserved skin and muscle from the 17th century, you’re actually wrong.
There is a massive amount of confusion surrounding the "incorrupt" status of Catholic saints. People get weird about it. Some think it’s a magic trick, others think it’s a total hoax, and some believe it’s a literal defiance of biological decay. The reality of St. Vincent de Paul is a mix of genuine historical mystery and some very high-end 19th-century waxwork.
What happened when they opened the grave?
Vincent de Paul died on September 27, 1660. He was 79, which was basically ancient for that era. They buried him in a lead coffin in the choir of the church of St. Lazare.
Fast forward to 1712. This was 52 years after his death. As part of the beatification process, the Church did an exhumation. This is standard procedure. They need to verify the remains. When the masons pulled that lid back, the doctors present were stunned. The st vincent de paul body was reported to be intact.
His eyes and nose were somewhat sunken, sure. That’s physics. But the skin wasn't gone. Even the internal organs were reportedly found to be flexible and preserved. This is where the term "incorrupt" comes from. In the eyes of the Church at the time, this was a "sign of sanctity." It wasn't just a lucky break with the soil chemistry; it was seen as a divine thumbprint.
But nature is persistent.
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By the time they opened the coffin again in 1737 for his canonization, things had changed. There had been a flood. Water had seeped into the underground vault. The moisture did what 50 years of burial couldn't do—it triggered heavy decomposition. The "incorrupt" state was largely gone.
The wax mask and the hidden bones
If you visit the shrine today at the Vincentian Fathers’ Motherhouse (not far from the Bon Marché department store), you aren't looking at bare bone, but you also aren't looking at "original" skin.
It's a bit of a compromise.
Inside that ornate silver-and-glass reliquary, the actual bones of the st vincent de paul body are encased within a wax effigy. The face you see? That’s a wax mask. The hands? Also wax. This wasn't done to trick people. It was done to give pilgrims a focal point that looked like the living man rather than a skeletal remains.
- The bones are there.
- The heart is somewhere else (it’s in the Chapel of the Miraculous Medal).
- The appearance is an artistic reconstruction.
The craftsmanship is honestly incredible. It was done by the house of Cazaubon in the early 1800s. They used old portraits to make sure the nose had that specific, slightly bulbous shape Vincent was known for.
Why does the st vincent de paul body still draw crowds?
You might wonder why thousands of people still line up to see a wax-covered skeleton.
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It's about the guy's resume. Vincent de Paul wasn't just some monk sitting in a cell. He was a powerhouse. He founded the Ladies of Charity. He started the Congregation of the Mission. He basically invented organized social work in France.
Before him, "charity" was often just rich people throwing coins at beggars from a carriage. Vincent changed that. He told his followers that they had to see Christ in the poor, but more importantly, they had to be efficient. He was a logistics nerd. He organized soup kitchens that actually worked. He cared for galley slaves who were treated worse than animals.
When you stand in front of the st vincent de paul body, you aren't just looking at a relic. You’re looking at the remains of a man who convinced the French aristocracy to actually care about the people starving in the gutters.
The "Incorruptible" Debate: Science vs. Faith
Modern forensic science has a few things to say about "incorrupt" bodies. It's not always a miracle.
Sometimes, it’s adipocere. That’s "grave wax." It happens when body fat turns into a soap-like substance in cool, damp, anaerobic environments. It prevents the usual rot. Lead coffins also play a huge role. They create a hermetic seal. If no oxygen gets in, the aerobic bacteria that usually eat us from the inside out can't do their job.
The Church has actually become way more skeptical about this than the average person. Nowadays, they don't even use the term "incorruptible" as a primary proof for sainthood. They use DNA testing. They use carbon dating. They hire secular pathologists.
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In Vincent's case, the initial preservation in 1712 is the "mystery" part. The later decay is just biology taking its course after the seal was broken.
Where exactly is he?
People get the locations mixed up all the time because there are two major shrines on the same street.
- The Chapel of Saint Vincent de Paul (95 Rue de Sèvres): This is where the full body (the wax effigy containing the bones) stays. It’s elevated above the main altar. You have to walk up a narrow set of stairs on either side of the altar to see him up close.
- The Chapel of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal (140 Rue du Bac): This is where Catherine Labouré’s body is. It’s also where St. Vincent’s heart is kept in a small reliquary.
If you're doing the "shrine crawl," start at Rue de Sèvres. It’s quieter. It feels more authentic. You can see the actual vestments he wore. You can see the heavy wooden heart of the old church.
Actionable Steps for Visiting or Researching
If you're planning to see the st vincent de paul body or just want to dig deeper into the history, don't just wing it.
- Check the hours: These chapels aren't museums; they are active places of worship. They close for lunch (usually between 12:30 and 2:30 PM).
- Look at the hands: In the reliquary, the wax hands are modeled to look like they are holding a crucifix. Notice the detail in the veins. It’s a masterpiece of 19th-century realism.
- Read "Monsieur Vincent" by Henri Lavedan: If you want the vibe of the man's life before you see the body, this is the book. It’s old, but it captures the grit of 17th-century Paris.
- Respect the silence: This isn't the Louvre. People there are often in deep grief or seeking hope. Keep the camera flashes off.
The story of the st vincent de paul body is ultimately a story about memory. Whether you believe in the miracle of the 1712 exhumation or you just see it as a fascinating case of lead-coffin preservation, the impact is the same. It keeps the memory of a man who fought for the "expendable" people of society alive in a very physical, tangible way.
He’s still there. He’s still "watching" over Paris. And the work he started—the St. Vincent de Paul Society—is still operating in almost every corner of the globe. That’s probably the more impressive bit of "incorruptibility" anyway.