The King of the Golden City

The book that began it all...

Mother Mary Loyola had used the simple allegory of a little maid and the gracious King who deigned to visit her as a catechetical tool for many years; a brief sketch of the story appears in The Children's Charter, her book of advice for parents and teachers published in 1911. But it wasn't until 1919, when she sent a version of the story to P. J. Kenedy, an American publisher who took a keen interest in her work, that she began expanding what was originally a simple vignette into a full book-length story. Two years later, The King of the Golden City appeared.

The King of the Golden City was in many ways the culmination of Mother Loyola's life's work. Into one simple and captivating allegory she distilled themes she had spent decades teaching: the love of Christ for each individual soul—the struggle with self and temptation—the formation of virtue with the help of grace—the long journey through this Land of Exile toward our true home in Heaven. At the center of it all are the visits of the gracious King Himself, Who comes to the little maid in humble disguise and teaches her how to prepare for Him, welcome Him, and long for His return.

Mother Loyola knew that children would love this wonderful story, but she could hardly have foreseen that it would be this—her only allegory and one of her last published works—that would rekindle interest in her writing many years later.

It was through our family's love of The King of the Golden City that we discovered the treasure trove of Mother Loyola's other works—and St. Augustine Academy Press was born.

This special Centenary Edition fulfills a dream we had from the beginning: to create a beautiful hardcover replica of the original 1921 edition. We have restored the original illustrations, including the beautiful frames surrounding the text on every page, and have carefully overseen each detail, down to the thicker paper that not only gives a similar feel to the original, but will ensure that this edition will make a lasting heirloom worthy of a story that families return to generation after generation.

And return to it they should! Boy or girl, old or young, each of us can recognize something of ourselves in the little maid—her early fervor, her forgetfulness, her struggles with Self, her failures, and above all her growing love for the King. The King of the Golden City is more than a story about First Holy Communion. It is the story of the Christian life itself, told in a form simple enough for a child to love—yet rich enough to call every one of us to greater holiness.

Read about the process we undertook in republishing this book here! Or learn more about Mother Mary Loyola here.

This book is available in several different languages as well.  We carry Spanish, French and Italian, as well as a special version for boys!

8.25" x 10.5"           hardcover with dust jacket         120 pages