Juliette Colbert de Barolo

Deeply moved by the conditions of detention for prisoners in Turin in 1814, Juliette Colbert de Barolo began visiting the female inmates daily. Appointed superintendent of the women's prison by King Charles-Albert, she reformed the prison system toward rehabilitation. She founded the Refuge (1823), the Congregation of the Sisters Penitents of Saint Mary Magdalene (1833, future Daughters of Jesus the Good Shepherd), the Congregation of the Sisters of Saint Anne (1834) with her husband, and the Ospedaletto di Santa Filomena. After her husband's death in 1838 during the cholera epidemic, she continued her works, partnering with Silvio Pellico and supporting Saint John Bosco.

The reputation for holiness of Juliette Colbert de Barolo was maintained after her death. The diocesan process for her beatification was opened in the Archdiocese of Turin on January 21, 1991, and concluded on July 4, 1994. The validity of this inquiry was recognized by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints on January 13, 1995, and the Positio on her heroic virtues was published in 2008.

On May 5, 2015, Pope Francis authorized the promulgation of the decree recognizing the heroic nature of her virtues, bestowing upon her the title of Venerable. Her husband, Carlo Tancredi Falletti di Barolo, was also declared venerable on December 21, 2018, highlighting the holiness of this Christian couple.

The spirituality of Juliette Colbert de Barolo is Christocentric, Marian, and marked by an absolute trust in Divine Providence. Upon her death on January 19, 1864, in Turin, she bequeathed her fortune to the foundation of the Opera Pia Barolo to perpetuate her works. Her body rests in the church of Santa Giulia in Turin, and her legacy continues through the Sisters of Saint Anne and the Daughters of Jesus the Good Shepherd.