her oldest brother, king louis xvi, her sister-in-law, queen marie antoinette; and her younger sister, madame élisabeth, were all executed in 1793-94. clothilde regarded her brother to have been a catholic martyr, but she was reportedly more emotionally affected by the execution of her sister, which became a turning point in her life. she initially harbored good hope that élisabeth would not be executed, because of her comparatively small political importance, and the news of her execution was therefore a shock. her spouse told her by saying that they must make a sacrifice, upon which she understood immediately, replied, "the sacrifice is made!" and fainted. she participated in a public procession of penance to the church of the pere philippins in turin, where she announced the death of her sister and ordered prayers to be said for her, and after this spoke of her as a saint. after the execution of her sister, clothilde declared her intention to live for the rest of her live in a state of penitence: from this year until her death, she only wore simple blue woolen dresses, cut her hair and covered it with a simple cap, discarded all her jewelry except for a ring and a cross, and stopped attending the theater and opera. it was noted that she did receive the ambassador of the french republic, ginguen, with kindness, which aroused surprise, but she commented that she considered it to be a christian act.