Eve Lavalliere

Eve Lavalliere was born Eugenie Fenoglio on April 1, 1866 in Toulon, France. Her parents were Emile-Louis Fenoglio and Albanie-Marie Audonnet. She was the second child in the family, her older brother was Leon-Antonin. After Eugenie was born she was raised by a wet nurse instead of her parents. She was often neglected by her parents and her brother received most of the praise and love from the family. Her father, Emile, was very violent as well as an alcoholic. He would beat his wife and ruin furniture in the house.

Eve Lavalliere (http://www.paprika.cz/pics/clanky/herecka.jpg)

Eugenie was sent to school where she was accused of stealing things and she gave herself a bad reputation. At age 10 her family moved to Perpighan where she was sent to a boarding school where she found peace and great happiness. She received her first communion while at the school and she found great peace at that moment. In 1878 she returned home from boarding school and she found her home life very dissatisfying. She was beaten again by her father and her family life was the worst that it had ever been. She escaped her miserable home life by writing plays and living in her fantasy world. In 1883 Albanie and Eugenie moved back to Toulon and tried to separate from Emile. Unfortunately, he convinced Albanie to move back in with them and she decided to give him a chance. While having dinner, Eugenie went to the kitchen where she heard gunshots from the dining room. When she returned, she saw her mother had been shot in the face, and then her father shot himself. Three weeks later her mother died from the wounds.

An ad for a show Eve was in. (http://www.dmhcgmedia.net/images/Eve-Lavalliere-(Lm.gif)

After her family drama, Eugenie traveled through Europe to learn the theatrical trade. As she gained fame, she met many men who she got money from. She always dated rich men who were willing to support her lavish lifestyle, but she rarely loved them back. She decided to change her name to Eve Lavalliere because she like the sound of the name, and one of her boyfriends asked her to change it. At age 22 she moved to Paris, where she fell in love with Samuel, the director of the theater that she worked at. She had a daughter with Samuel, and they named her Jeanne. She and Samuel never married, because she was not the only woman he was dating. She became very depressed when Samuel died, but her fame continued to grow. She became a very famous comedienne, best known for the acting she did with her hands. Although she was gaining fame, she was very distant from her daughter and never fell in love again. The only time she was truly happy was when she was on stage.

As her fame grew, Eve agreed to go to America to do a tour. The summer before she was to leave she moved with a friend out to a quiet country side in Vosges to gain some rest. While there, she was introduced to the pastor of the nearby parish who scolded her for not going to church. She was convinced to go to mass at Chanceaux, but at the first service she attended she was not impressed by the priest's way of yelling his homily. Afterwards, he visited her and she confronted him with her thoughts of the service. He convinced her to keep coming to mass, and eventually she found great guidance from the church. He also gave her a book about Mary Magdalene which inspired her greatly. She became so dedicated to her parish that she directed the children's choir at the parish and she became very involved. Along with her roommate, Leona, she prayed much more often for many people and things. She wanted to join a convent, but her failing health did not allow her to do so.

The home of Eve. (http://www.danrj.fr/lavalliere/eve-lavaliere.html)

Eve continued to pray and participate in mass. She gave up all her of lavish possessions and stopped wearing make up. Even though it was a difficult transition for her, she found great peace in her new work. She refused to see any visitors from her old business, and worked with the poor people in her community. She became a type of a hermit, staying mostly in her house to pray. She decided to do mission work in North Africa, and participated there for 7 months of the year for 3 years. After the third year, her failing health did not allow her to participate any longer. Eventually her health got to the point where she was confined to her home. Her daughter pretended to help by offering her mother a mystery drug that turned out to be cocaine. By keeping her mother oblivious and addicted, she was able to make money by selling it to her. When Eve's doctor found out he kicked Jeanne out of the house and had to continue to give Eve cocaine until she died. Her organs kept failing, and her face swelled up horribly. She had once been known for her beautiful eyes, but they had to be sewn shut because of the swelling. She never complained as she was dying, and passed away after much great suffering. She was buried at a simple gravesite in the town that she was born at.