The Massacre in the Rue Haxo (french: le massacre de la rue Haxo) was a massacre of priests and gendarmes by

communards The Communards () were members and supporters of the short-lived 1871 Paris Commune formed in the wake of the French defeat in the Franco-Prussian War. After the suppression of the Commune by the French Army in May 1871, 43,000 Communards ...

during the ''

semaine sanglante The ''semaine sanglante'' ("") was a weeklong battle in Paris from 21 to 28 May 1871, during which the French Army recaptured the city from the Paris Commune. This was the final battle of the Paris Commune. Following the Treaty of Frankfurt ...

'' ("bloody week") at the end of the

Paris Commune The Paris Commune (french: Commune de Paris, ) was a revolutionary government that seized power in Paris, the capital of France, from 18 March to 28 May 1871. During the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71, the French National Guard had defended ...

in May 1871.

Background

The communards associated the Catholic Church with conservatism and imperialism and enforced a separation between Church and state. In April, the Commune had arrested some 200 clergy to serve as hostages against reprisals from the Versailles government, and to use in possible prisoner exchanges. In particular, leaders of the Commune hoped to be able to exchange the archbishop of Paris,

Georges Darboy Georges Darboy (16 January 181324 May 1871) was a French Catholic priest, later bishop of Nancy then archbishop of Paris. He was among a group of prominent hostages executed as the Paris Commune of 1871 was about to be overthrown. Biography Da ...

, for

Louis Auguste Blanqui Louis Auguste Blanqui (; 8 February 1805 – 1 January 1881) was a French socialist and political activist, notable for his revolutionary theory of Blanquism. Biography Early life, political activity and first imprisonment (1805–1848) Bla ...

, but this offer was rebuffed by

Adolphe Thiers Marie Joseph Louis Adolphe Thiers ( , ; 15 April 17973 September 1877) was a French statesman and historian. He was the second elected President of France and first President of the French Third Republic. Thiers was a key figure in the July Rev ...

, president of the Third Republic. Versailles troops entered the city on 21 May, and by 24 May had retaken much of the city.

Théophile Ferré Théophile Charles Gilles Ferré (6 May 1845 28 November 1871) was one of the members of the Paris Commune, who authorized the execution of Georges Darboy, the archbishop of Paris, and five other hostages, on 24 May 1871. He was captured by the ...

signed an order of execution for six of the hostages at la Roquette Prison, specifically including the archbishop; they were executed by firing squad.

Massacre

On 26 May, 50 further hostages from la Roquette Prison were executed, this time publicly in rue Haxo. On 27 May, some of them attempted to escape; they were immediately killed. In total, 110 were killed, of whom 75 were clergy and 35 were soldiers.

Legacy

A chapel was built on the site in 1894, and in 1938 the church in rue Haxo was inaugurated as Notre-Dame des Otages.

The Five Martyrs of the Rue Haxo

On 25 November 2021,

Pope Francis Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013. ...

recognized five victims of the 26 May killings as

martyrs A martyr (, ''mártys'', "witness", or , ''marturia'', stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an external ...

: Henri Planchat, Ladislas Radigue, Polycarpe Tuffier, Marcellin Rouchouze, and Frézal Tardieu. They were

beatified Beatification (from Latin ''beatus'', "blessed" and ''facere'', "to make”) is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a deceased person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in their nam ...

on April 22, 2023 by

Cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to: Animals * Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae **''Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, the ...

Marcello Semeraro Marcello Semeraro (born 22 December 1947) is an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church who has been the Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints since October 2020. He was previously Bishop of Albano and secretary to the group of car ...

. , width=250 , height=150 , align=center File:Portrait Henri Planchat 2023 - souriant.tif, Blessed Henri Planchat File:Ladislas Radigue.jpg, Blessed Ladislas Radigue File:Polycarpe Tuffier zm. 1871.png, Blessed Polycarpe Tuffier File:Marcellin Rouchouze ofiara komuny.png, Blessed Marcellin Rouchouze File:Frezal Tardieu zm. 1871.jpg, Blessed Frezal Tardieu

Background

Massacre

Legacy

The Five Martyrs of the Rue Haxo

References

Further reading