Jeanne Franchise Fremiot Chantal, baroness de, a saint of the Roman Catholic church, born at Dijon in 1572, died at Moulins in 1641. She was the daughter of a president of the Dijon parliament, and early married Christophe de Rabutin-Chantal. Her husband was killed while hunting, and although she was only 28 years of age, she took a vow never to marry again. From this time her sole occupation and recreation was the education of her children and the care of the sick and the poor. She became acquainted with St. Francis de Sales in 1604, and placed herself entirely under his direction. He communicated to her his project for the establishment of the order of the Visitation, and she so far entered into his views that in 1610 she laid the first foundation of that order at Annecy. She established her children in life (one of whom became the father of Mine, de Sevigne), and then devoted the remainder of her days to the order, being designated as the mere de Chantal. At her death the order comprised 87 houses; at the close of the 17th century they numbered 150, and about 6,600 members.

Her beatification took place in 1751, and she was canonized by Clement XII. in 1767. Her life and letters were published in Paris, 1779.