GUSTAVIA, St. Barts — Eugenie Blanchard, a nun who was considered the world’s oldest person, died in the French Caribbean island of St. Barts on Thursday. She was 114.

Blanchard, who friends called “Sweets” because of her kindness, died at Bruyn Hospital, where she had lived in the geriatric ward since 1980, said hospital director Pierre Nuty.

Her death leaves Eunice G. Sanborn, of Jacksonville, Texas, as the world’s oldest person, according to two organizations that monitor that status.

Blanchard’s cousin Armelle Blanchard told The Associated Press that while her relative could no longer talk, she had seemed to be in relatively good health.

“When you talked to her, she would smile,” the cousin said. “We don’t know if she understood us.”