The Abbé Étienne Guibourg (c. 1610 – January 1686) was a French

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

abbé ''Abbé'' (from Latin ''abbas'', in turn from Greek , ''abbas'', from Aramaic ''abba'', a title of honour, literally meaning "the father, my father", emphatic state of ''abh'', "father") is the French word for an abbot. It is the title for lowe ...

and

occult The occult, in the broadest sense, is a category of esoteric supernatural beliefs and practices which generally fall outside the scope of religion and science, encompassing phenomena involving otherworldly agency, such as magic and mysticism a ...

ist who was involved in the ''affaire des poisons'', during the reign of

Louis XIV , house = Bourbon , father = Louis XIII , mother = Anne of Austria , birth_date = , birth_place = Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France , death_date = , death_place = Palace of Vers ...

. He has been variously described as a "

defrocked Defrocking, unfrocking, degradation, or laicization of clergy is the removal of their rights to exercise the functions of the ordained ministry. It may be grounded on criminal convictions, disciplinary problems, or disagreements over doctrine or d ...

" or "renegade" priest, and is said to have also had a good knowledge of

chemistry Chemistry is the science, scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the Chemical element, elements that make up matter to the chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions ...

. He is best known for performing a series of Black Mass rituals with

Catherine Monvoisin Catherine Monvoisin, or Montvoisin, née ''Deshayes'', known as "La Voisin" (c. 1640 – 22 February 1680), was a French fortune teller, commissioned poisoner, and professional provider of alleged sorcery. She was the head of a network of fo ...

for

Madame de Montespan Madame may refer to: * Madam, civility title or form of address for women, derived from the French * Madam (prostitution), a term for a woman who is engaged in the business of procuring prostitutes, usually the manager of a brothel * ''Madame'' ( ...

Early life and ecclesiastic career

Guibourg claimed to be the illegitimate son of Henri de Montmorency.''Geography of Witchcraft''
by

Montague Summers Augustus Montague Summers (10 April 1880 – 10 August 1948) was an English author, clergyman, and teacher. He initially prepared for a career in the Church of England at Oxford and Lichfield, and was ordained as an Anglican deacon in 1908. He ...

(1927; reprint

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, 2003) He was the

sacristan A sacristan is an officer charged with care of the sacristy, the church, and their contents. In ancient times, many duties of the sacrist were performed by the doorkeepers ( ostiarii), and later by the treasurers and mansionarii. The Decretals ...

of the Saint-Marcel church at Saint-Denis which was later destroyed during the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...

but described as being "the most beautiful of the parish churches of the town of Saint-Denis". He was formerly the

chaplain A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a Minister (Christianity), minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a laity, lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secularity, secular institution (such as a hosp ...

to the Comte de Montgomery. Despite his position, he is said to have kept a long-term mistress, Jeanne Chanfrain, with whom he had several children.

Black Masses

According to later accounts, confessions and trials, Guibourg performed a series of Black Masses with Catherine Monvoisin (known as

La Voisin Catherine Monvoisin, or Montvoisin, née ''Deshayes'', known as "La Voisin" (c. 1640 – 22 February 1680), was a French fortune teller, commissioned poisoner, and professional provider of alleged sorcery. She was the head of a network of for ...

). The most famous of these were performed for

around 1672-3.

gives an account of one such ritual: Summers provides a further account of the

incantation An incantation, a spell, a charm, an enchantment or a bewitchery, is a magical formula intended to trigger a magical effect on a person or objects. The formula can be spoken, sung or chanted. An incantation can also be performed during ceremo ...

used by Guibourg himself: Accounts suggest that La Voisin performed rituals with a number of priests (including at least one whose work was uncovered by Church authorities, forcing him into exile) as well as Guibourg. It is unlikely Guibourg took part in all of La Voisin's Black Masses. It is alleged, upon her arrest, investigators discovered the corpses of 2,500 infants buried in her yard, allegedly

sacrifice Sacrifice is the offering of material possessions or the lives of animals or humans to a deity as an act of propitiation or worship. Evidence of ritual animal sacrifice has been seen at least since ancient Hebrews and Greeks, and possibly exi ...

d the same way as in Guibourg's ritual. Allegedly, La Voisin had paid

prostitute Prostitution is the business or practice of engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, non-penet ...

s for their infants for use in the rituals. Eleanor Herman, in her book ''Sex with Kings'', claims that the police, given reports of "babies' bones", uncovered the remains of 2,500 infants in La Voisin's garden. However, Anne Somerset disputes this in her book ''The Affair of the Poisons'' and states there is no mention of the garden being searched for human remains.

Arrest and sentence

In 1680,

Françoise Filastre Françoise Filastre, also known as La Filastre (1645–1680), was a French poisoner and occultist, one of the many involved in '' l'affaire des Poisons''. In her testimony she named the king's mistress, Madame de Montespan as another participant in ...

, under interrogation in connection with the

poison affair Poison is a chemical substance that has a detrimental effect to life. The term is used in a wide range of scientific fields and industries, where it is often specifically defined. It may also be applied colloquially or figuratively, with a broa ...

, claimed that Guibourg had performed Black Masses. Guibourg was arrested and confessed to this and to other crimes.''The Affair of the Poisons: Murder, Infanticide, and Satanism at the Court of Louis XIV''
by Anne Somerset (

St. Martin's Press St. Martin's Press is a book publisher headquartered in Manhattan, New York City, in the Equitable Building. St. Martin's Press is considered one of the largest English-language publishers, bringing to the public some 700 titles a year under si ...

, 2003) He was sentenced to life imprisonment and sequestration and died in prison in 1686.

In fiction

He is portrayed in a novel by

Judith Merkle Riley Judith Merkle Riley (January 14, 1942 – September 12, 2010) was an American writer, teacher and academic who wrote six historical romance novels. Biography Judith Astria Merkle was born in 1942 and grew up in Livermore, California. Her grea ...

: ''The Oracle Glass'' (1994). He is portrayed as Father Etienne Gibbourg in the second season of the French-Canadian television series

Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 1995 has been managed, u ...

(2017) by Ned Dennehy.

References

* Hugh Noel Williams - ''Madame de Montespan and Louis XIV'', 1910.
Excerpts from Bastille trial records of Guibourg and LaVoisin (French and English translation)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Guibourg, Etienne 1610 births 1686 deaths Abbés Prisoners and detainees of France French people who died in prison custody French occultists 17th-century occultists People imprisoned by lettre de cachet Affair of the Poisons