Madeleine Sophie Barat, RSCJ, (12 December 1779 – 25 May 1865), was a French saint of the Catholic Church who founded the Society of the Sacred Heart, a worldwide religious institute of educators.

The stress and the terror of the fire caused Sophie's mother, Madeleine Fouffé Barat (1740–1822), then pregnant with her third child, to go into labour.

Born two months premature, Madeleine Sophie was considered so fragile that she was baptised early the next morning in Sainy Thibault Church, just a few yards from the Barat family home.

He taught her Latin, Greek, history, natural science, Spanish, and Italian providing Sophie with an education that was rarely available to young women and girls at the time.

[1] In 1789, Louis Barat became involved in the debate surrounding the pending Civil Constitution of the Clergy, which required all priests to swear allegiance to the new revolutionary state.

For five years, she lived in Paris a life of prayer and study and taught catechism in secret to the children of The Marais quarter.

On 21 November 1800, at the age of 20, she abandoned her dream of becoming a Carmelite and, along with three other women living in the Paris safe-house, took her vows as one of the first members of this new religious congregation, marking the foundation of the Society of the Sacred Heart.

[3] In November 1804, Barat traveled to Sainte-Marie-d’en-Haut, near Grenoble, in southeastern France, to receive a community of Visitation nuns into the Society.

[citation needed] Barat is credited with the twofold gift of intuition in the choice of persons fitted for office and trust of those in responsible posts.

[7] In 1820, she called all of the superiors together in a council at Paris to establish a uniform course of studies for the quickly expanding network of Sacred Heart schools.

[6] The studies were to be serious, to cultivate the mind, and to create young women who would be devoted to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and perform good deeds in God's name.

As foundations continued to multiply, Sophie saw the need for a greater degree of unity and sought the approval of the Vatican in Rome.

Over the course of her 65 years as the superior general, Sophie and her Society survived the regime of Napoleon, saw France undergo two more revolutions, and witnessed Italy's struggle to become a full-fledged nation.

[citation needed] The Sacred Heart schools quickly earned an excellent reputation.,She dreamed of educating all children regardless of their parents' financial means.

In 1992, a portrait was discovered during a restoration at the convent of Sante Rufina e Seconda in Rome by the Sisters of the Immaculate Conception of Ivrea.

[12] “We don’t live with angels; we have to put up with human nature and forgive it.” “Before making any change take counsel.... Prudence and a wise slowness are necessary in the beginning.” “More is gained by indulgence than by severity.” "Be humble, be simple, bring joy to others.

Anne de Meeûs, a pupil in Paris, wrote the constitutions of her congregation of Religious of Perpetual Adoration at the little Château in Jette.

The legacy of Barat can be found in the more than 100 schools operated by her Society of the Sacred Heart, institutions known for the quality of the education made available to the young.

[17] The "Saint Madeleine Sophie Barat Tribute and Memorial Scholarship" is available annually to two new or returning students attending Oak Hill School in St. Louis, Missouri.