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Pierre Le Gouvello, lord of Kériolet, was a Breton penitent born in Auray on July 14, 1602, who died in the odor of sanctity in 1660. He was ordained a priest on March 28, 1637. He transformed his château into a hospice for the poor.
Born in Auray on July 14, 1602, into a wealthy noble family, Pierre de Keriolet seemed to be in the grip of the devil from childhood. He loved doing evil. His studies with the Jesuits in Rennes didn't help, on the contrary. Always short of money, he stole from those around him.
At the age of twenty, he tried to join the Ottoman Empire to become a Muslim. But obstacles stood in his way, and he never succeeded. He fell victim to brigands while crossing Germany: the only survivor of the attack, he implored Our Lady of Liesse to save him. Granted his wish, he did not keep his promise and, for over fifteen years, led a debauched life, during which he may have signed a pact with the devil.
In 1635, he returned to France to collect his father's inheritance, and bought a position as councillor at the Parliament of Brittany. He used his power as a magistrate to foster hatred between litigants, taking satisfaction in doing evil.
On several occasions, he escaped death, as if an invisible, all-powerful protection were extending over him. Instead of reflecting on this, he congratulated himself on his exceptional good fortune.
In the hope of being noticed by the young Duke of Orléans, brother of Louis XIII, Pierre de Keriolet accompanied the latter to Loudun in 1636, along with other members of parliament. A case of witchcraft was rocking the town. During an exorcism in the church of the Holy Cross in Loudun, the devil, speaking through the mouth of the possessed woman, publicly called out to Pierre de Keriolet, revealing who had protected him and explaining the reasons for this, citing the miracles of protection from which he had benefited. In closing, the devil made it clear that he was there to take him to hell, shouting, “If it hadn't been for her and your angel, I'd have taken you away!”
The next day, the devil exclaimed on seeing Keriolet again: “Well, here's the gentleman from yesterday again! If he keeps on like this, he'll rise as high in Heaven as he would have sunk with us in Hell. Ah, if you only knew! [...] She put her arms in the mire up to her elbows to pull him out of his filth, just because he still had a tiny bit of devotion left for her! And to think we're ourselves are damned for one sin!!!”
In fact, Keriolet was saved for having, all his life and whatever his faults, kept the promise he had once made to his mother: to say a Hail Mary every day, come what may, in honor of Our Lady. Although he was renowned for his avarice, he always gave generously in alms, even if he claimed it was not for the love of God. But “almsgiving covers the multitude of sins”, in the words of St Gregory the Great.
Keriolet eventually became a priest. He continued to experience demonic attacks for the rest of his life, as hell hates to let go of its prey, but it was all in vain. You can't take from Our Lady what is rightfully hers.