A fervent 18th-century French religious movement marked by extreme physical convulsions and mystic practices, entwined with political undercurrents.
Religion: Christianity
Denomination: Catholicism
Founded: 18th century
Ended: 18th century
Location: France
The Convulsionnaires of Saint-Médard were a religious group that formed in the 18th century, characterized by their dramatic public displays of convulsions and miracles. This group emerged following the death of François de Pâris, a Jansenist deacon known for his ascetic lifestyle and opposition to the Unigenitus decree by Pope Clement XI, which was aimed at suppressing Jansenism within the Catholic Church. After his death in 1727, Pâris’s tomb in the Saint-Médard cemetery in Paris became a pilgrimage site where numerous miraculous healings and convulsive episodes were reported.
The Jansenist movement, named after the Dutch theologian Cornelius Jansen, arose in the mid-17th century. It emphasized original sin, human depravity, and the need for divine grace. Jansenists often found themselves at odds with the Catholic hierarchy and were eventually condemned as heretical. The Convulsionnaires were closely associated with Jansenism and its rigorous theological stance, which heavily influenced their practices and beliefs.
The phenomena of the Convulsionnaires began around 1731, with followers experiencing violent, convulsive fits during their visits to the tomb. These convulsions were often accompanied by claims of miraculous cures of various ailments. The movements could be so intense that some observers described them as supernatural, with people reportedly levitating or demonstrating unnatural body contortions. The group attracted wide attention, drawing pilgrims and curious onlookers from various social strata, which included not only the common populace but also members of the nobility and clergy.
The Convulsionnaires’ relationship with the French monarchy and clergy was complex and often antagonistic. They denounced the monarch and the ecclesiastical hierarchy, aligning themselves with early Christian martyrs and adopting apocalyptic rhetoric. Their writings reveal a deep eschatological focus, with themes of divine judgment and the end times.
The activities at Saint-Médard gained such momentum that they led to public disturbances. This prompted King Louis XV to intervene by closing the cemetery in 1732 to quell the escalating public frenzy. However, the closure did not deter the Convulsionnaires, who simply moved their gatherings to private homes across Paris and other cities. These meetings often mimicked the earlier public displays of convulsions and were characterized by a similar intensity and communal spirit.
Post-1732, the movement grew more radical. Its practices evolved to include ‘spiritual marriages’, violent convulsions, and a form of torture known as ‘secours’, reflecting a mix of religious fervor and emerging sadomasochism. The movement’s leadership faced opposition and disintegration, and by the mid-1740s, it had largely lost public support. The movement’s activities became more clandestine, and by 1755, their numbers had significantly dwindled.
The Convulsionnaires of Saint-Médard represented a significant challenge to the ecclesiastical and civil authorities of the time. Their practices not only questioned the theological doctrines of the official Church but also subtly protested against the social and political order of the day. The blend of religious fervor, miraculous claims, and public spectacle made the Convulsionnaires a unique phenomenon in the religious and social landscape of Enlightenment France.
image via Historical Blindness
