The headstrong Waldensians
© Y. Joubert
The Pyrenees had the Cathars, and the Alps the Waldensians. Forced to flee to the upper valleys of the Ecrins, and persecuted for centuries, they have left their mark on the landscape and on the local mentality.
The Waldensian movement was born in Lyon at the end of the 1170s. It is named after Pierre Valdès, a wealthy merchant who had shared out his earthly goods among the poor, thus attracting a large following. He condemned the affluence and the corruption of the Church, and questioned its authority by explaining the Gospels in the vernacular language rather than in Latin. He also defended the right to preach for everybody, including women. The Archbishop of Lyon was quick to outlaw the order, and Valdès was excommunicated in 1184, during the Council of Verona. Under threat, the Waldensians were obliged to flee; many of them found refuge in the Alps, especially in the Ecrins. The name of the village of Puy Saint-Vincent is a testimony to Vincent Ferrier, who attempted to bring the Waldensians back to the fold of the Catholic Church in the 15th century.
Robert Fine has had a passionate interest in their history for the past 20 years. He is a former postal worker and locally born: "My grandfather often told me about the lives of those families who had to resist continuous persecution." Braving the harsh winters and subsisting on meagre harvests reaped during the brief summers, the Waldensians contributed to the sense of pride felt by the inhabitants of the Ecrins: "Thanks to our strength of character, the region has not been deserted by its population", states Robert Fine.
Despite the pressure of the Catholic church, the Waldensians held out until the 16th century, when they joined the Protestant movement. There are still almost 30,000 faithful today, mainly in France, Switzerland and Northern Italy.
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Topic : Art and cultural heritage
Published on : 2008/12/23
Tags : passion waldensian
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