Catherine Cadière, or Marie-Catherine Cadière (12 November 1709 in

Toulon Toulon (, , ; , , ) is a city in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of southeastern France. Located on the French Riviera and the historical Provence, it is the prefecture of the Var (department), Var department. The Commune of Toulon h ...

, year of death unknown), was an alleged French witch. The trial of Catherine Cadière in 1731 is one of the most famous of its kind in French history, and have been referred to many times in literature, notably in the pornographic novel '' Thérèse philosophe''.

Background

Catherine Cadière was born to a merchant whose health was ruined by the plague in 1720, and lived under the guardianship of her widowed mother and three brothers. When she was eighteen, she joined "a loosely organized group of women who, through living in their own homes, were dedicated to prayer and meditation". The spiritual director of these devotees of the "Third Order of St. Theresa" was the

Jesuit The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

Jean-Baptiste Girard (1680–1733), whom she met in 1728. She was encouraged by Girard in the belief that she suffered from holy convulsions and saintly

stigmata Stigmata (, plural of , 'mark, spot, brand'), in Roman Catholicism, Catholicism, are bodily wounds, scars and pain which appear in locations corresponding to the Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion Five Holy Wounds, wounds of Jesus in Christian ...

and spiritual visions, which Girard presented as the symptoms of a saint. He visited her often and possibly abused her sexually. Her emotional state during these experiences was described as hysterical.

Trial

In June 1730, Girard was investigated for abuse and corruption, and Cadière was placed in a

convent A convent is an enclosed community of monks, nuns, friars or religious sisters. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The term is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglican ...

. She was released in September 1730. The case was transferred to the court of

Aix-en-Provence Aix-en-Provence, or simply Aix, is a List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, city and Communes of France, commune in southern France, about north of Marseille. A former capital of Provence, it is the Subprefectures in France, s ...

. Cadière was first placed in a convent in

and then taken to a convent in

Aix Aix or AIX may refer to: Computing * AIX, a line of IBM computer operating systems *Alternate index, for an IBM Virtual Storage Access Method key-sequenced data set * Athens Internet Exchange, a European Internet exchange point Places Belg ...

for the trial, which began on 10 January 1731 under the Parlement of Aix. The Parlement at Aix took evidence and witness accounts for almost a year. She was defended by Chaudon. The case drew attention from the whole of

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, and Cadière was supported by parliamentarians, noblewomen, and the public in

and

. The case was seen as a case against the Jesuit order, and Cadière was seen as a symbol of the corruption of the

Jesuits The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

. Cadière accused Girard of bewitching her by making her fall in love with him: "You see here before you a young girl of twenty years, plunged into an abyss of evils, but whose heart is still unsullied." When they returned with their verdict on 11 October 1731, the judges were split 12 to 12. President Lebret cast the deciding vote, and he "returned Father Girard to the ecclesiastical authorities for his irregular conduct as a priest, and sent Catherine back to her mother. By this dismissal he indicated the charges of sorcery were not proved."

Verdict

On 11 September 1731 Cadière was sentenced to death, but on 10 October 1731 she was declared innocent. Her acquittal and release was greeted with rejoicing from the public. She was turned over to her mother, who was to remove her to prevent chaos, so that civil order could be restored. However, Cadière's fate after this is unknown.

References

;

Sources

*A modern treatment in English: Mita Choudhury, ''The Wanton Jesuit and the Wayward Saint. A Tale of Sex, Religion and Politics in 18th-Century France'' (Penn State UP, 2015)

External links