15 September 2012

Fête de la Saint-Barthélemy - the Church Service and the Massacre


Everyone has entered the church.  One adorable child, a glittering tiara in her hair has perhaps had enough of waiting ... but now the curé has arrived and the service can begin.

The ceremony concerns the Golden Apple.  The struggle between the two social orders, good and evi,l is represented by the crucifix and the sword.

Saint Barthélemy was a martyr. What is called the massacre of St. Bartholomew was a massacre of Protestants that took place in Paris on August 24, 1572, the Fete day of St. Bartholomew.  It continued for several days in the capital, and then extended to more than two dozen cities in the provinces in subsequent weeks.

For many years, history has decreed that King Charles IX and his mother, Catherine de Medici, were responsible for the massacreBut opinion is divided on the exact role of the crown.  The view today is that only military chiefs of the clan were protesting, protected by royal order. On the morning of August 24, Charles IX ordered the immediate cessation of the killings, but overwhelmed by the zeal and fury of the people, he could not prevent it.  Whatever the truth, it doesn't sound a very happy story ...


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Tout le monde est entré dans l'église. Une enfant adorable, un diadème étincelant dans ses cheveux en a peut-être  assez d'attendre ... mais voila  le curé qui arrive et le service peut commencer.

La cérémonie concerne le Pomme d'Or.  La lutte entre les deux ordres sociaux, le bien et le mal, est représentée par le crucifix et l'épée .

Saint-Barthélemy était un martyr.  Ce qu'on appelle le massacre de la Saint -Barthélemy a été le massacre des protestants qui a eu lieu à Paris le 24 Août 1572, le jour de la fête de la Saint-Barthélemy. Il s'est poursuivi pendant plusieurs jours dans la capitale, puis s'est étendu à plus de deux douzaines de villes de provinces au cours des semaines suivantes.

Pendant de nombreuses années, l'histoire a décrété que le roi Charles IX et sa mère, Catherine de Médicis, étaient responsables du massacre. Mais les avis sont partagés sur le rôle exact de la couronne. Le point de vue d'aujourd'hui, c'est que seuls les chefs militaires du clan ont agi, protégés par un arrêté royal. Dans la matinée du 24 Août, Charles IX ordonna l'arrêt immédiat des tueries, mais dépassé par le zèle et la fureur du peuple, il n'a rien  pu empêcher. Quelle que soit la vérité, ce n'est pas une histoire très glorieuse ...

6 comments:

  1. Sixteenth century, 21st century, it's all the same when it comes to the unstoppable "zeal and fury of the people" that you describe. Killing in the name of religion will probably never end. New martyrs all the time.

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  2. Such a cute shot of the girl - good timing!

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  3. That's a great picture, Jilly! Sad story, though.

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  4. So much of Religious history is fraught with violence and "massacres"... and is not relegated to any one religion... The photo is wonderful...and perfect in B&W!

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  5. So right, all of you, about religious history and its violence. I don't know much French history but what little I know is fascinating, of course.

    I agree with Chieftess, B&W is the perfect choice for this photo.

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  6. Lovely top photo, so typical of many youngsters' early church days.

    Being a protestant, I was raised in the memory of the Saint Bartholomew massacres. It's nice to think that protestants and catholics now happily coexist. I wonder how long it will be before the same can happen with Muslims.

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