Eugène Charles Miroy (November 12, 1828 – February 12, 1871), also known as

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 ...

Miroy, was a French

Catholic priest The priesthood is the office of the ministers of religion, who have been commissioned ("ordained") with the Holy orders of the Catholic Church. Technically, bishops are a priestly order as well; however, in layman's terms ''priest'' refers only ...

who was executed by the Prussian military during the armistice following the Franco-Prussian War. Miroy was the

Curate A curate () is a person who is invested with the ''care'' or ''cure'' (''cura'') ''of souls'' of a parish. In this sense, "curate" means a parish priest; but in English-speaking countries the term ''curate'' is commonly used to describe clergy w ...

Cuchery Cuchery () is a commune in the Marne department in north-eastern France. See also *Communes of the Marne department * Eugène Charles Miroy *Montagne de Reims Regional Natural Park Montagne de Reims Regional Natural Park (French: ''Parc nature ...

. Following the signature of the armistice agreement, Prussian forces accused Miroy of having sheltered

Francs-tireurs (, French for "free shooters") were irregular military formations deployed by France during the early stages of the Franco-Prussian War (1870–71). The term was revived and used by partisans to name two major French Resistance movements se ...

in his

rectory A clergy house is the residence, or former residence, of one or more priests or ministers of religion. Residences of this type can have a variety of names, such as manse, parsonage, rectory or vicarage. Function A clergy house is typically ow ...

, and of having hidden armaments in the

altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, churches, and other places of worship. They are used particularly in paga ...

of his

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * Chris ...

. Miroy is buried in the Cimitière du Nord in Reims, beneath a bronze recumbent statue sculpted by René de Saint-Marceaux. His tomb became a symbol of the

French Resistance The French Resistance (french: La Résistance) was a collection of organisations that fought the German occupation of France during World War II, Nazi occupation of France and the Collaborationism, collaborationist Vichy France, Vichy régim ...

, and the municipality of Reims lays a wreath upon his grave at the annual commemoration of the liberation of the city.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Miroy, Eugene Charles 1828 births 1871 deaths 19th-century French Roman Catholic priests