Devil Worship and Demonic Possession in French Convents Pt II

Part one of this little series looked at the mass outbreaks of demonic possession (see also: convent hysteria) in several convents in France between 1611 and 1613. Despite geographical distance between the convents, there were a number of incidents which saw groups of nuns of varying denominations demonstrating behaviour considered to be evidence of possession.… Read More Devil Worship and Demonic Possession in French Convents Pt II

“Out of spite for the Saviour”: Devil Worship and Demonic possession in French convents pt I

Witch hunts were not new to the seventeenth-century population, having been around since before the time of Christ, but the 1600s saw an explosion of interest (or hysteria) regarding witches and their work. During this time convents across Europe would see spontaneous outbreaks of witchcraft, devil worship and demonic possession. For the devil to gain… Read More “Out of spite for the Saviour”: Devil Worship and Demonic possession in French convents pt I