Christine And Léa Papin
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Christine Papin (8 March 1905 – 18 May 1937) and Léa Papin (15 September 1911 – either 1982 or 2001) were two French sisters who, as live-in maids, were convicted of murdering their employer's wife and daughter in
Le Mans Le Mans (; ) is a Communes of France, city in Northwestern France on the Sarthe (river), Sarthe River where it meets the Huisne. Traditionally the capital of the Provinces of France, province of Maine (province), Maine, it is now the capital of ...
on February 2, 1933. The murder had a significant influence on French intellectuals such as
Jean Genet Jean Genet (; ; – ) was a French novelist, playwright, poet, essayist, and political activist. In his early life he was a vagabond and petty criminal, but he later became a writer and playwright. His major works include the novels '' The Th ...
,
Jean-Paul Sartre Jean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre (, ; ; 21 June 1905 – 15 April 1980) was a French philosopher, playwright, novelist, screenwriter, political activist, biographer, and literary criticism, literary critic, considered a leading figure in 20th ...
,
Simone de Beauvoir Simone Lucie Ernestine Marie Bertrand de Beauvoir (, ; ; 9 January 1908 – 14 April 1986) was a French existentialist philosopher, writer, social theorist, and feminist activist. Though she did not consider herself a philosopher, nor was she ...
, and
Jacques Lacan Jacques Marie Émile Lacan (, ; ; 13 April 1901 – 9 September 1981) was a French psychoanalyst and psychiatrist. Described as "the most controversial psycho-analyst since Sigmund Freud, Freud", Lacan gave The Seminars of Jacques Lacan, year ...
, and was considered symbolic of
class struggle In political science, the term class conflict, class struggle, or class war refers to the economic antagonism and political tension that exist among social classes because of clashing interests, competition for limited resources, and inequali ...
. The case formed the basis of publications, plays, and films, as well as essays, spoken word, songs, and artwork.


Life

Christine (b. 8 March 1905) and Léa Papin (b. 15 September 1911) were born in
Le Mans Le Mans (; ) is a Communes of France, city in Northwestern France on the Sarthe (river), Sarthe River where it meets the Huisne. Traditionally the capital of the Provinces of France, province of Maine (province), Maine, it is now the capital of ...
to Clémence Derré and Gustave Papin. While Clémence was dating Gustave, it was rumored that she was having an affair with her employer. However, after she became pregnant, Gustave married her in October 1901. Five months later, her first daughter, Émilia, was born. Suspecting that Clémence was still having an affair with her employer, Gustave found a new job in another city and announced that the family would move. Clémence declared that she would rather take her own life than leave Le Mans. The marriage deteriorated. Gustave began to drink heavily.


Early life

Christine was born on March 8, 1905, but her mother was considered not to be nurturing and deemed unsuitable for motherhood, and soon after her birth Christine was given to her paternal aunt and uncle. She lived happily with them for seven years. Léa was born on September 15, 1911 and given to her maternal uncle, with whom she remained until he died. In 1912, when Émilia was 9 or 10 years old, it was alleged that Gustave had raped her. Clémence, believing that Émilia had seduced her father, sent her to the Bon Pasteur Catholic Orphanage, which was known for its discipline. Soon afterward, Émilia was joined by Christine and Léa, who Clémence intended would remain at the orphanage until age 15, when they could be employed. Clémence and Gustave divorced in 1913. In 1918, Émilia decided to enter 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 ...
, effectively ending her relations with her family. As far as can be ascertained, she lived out the remainder of her life there. During Christine's time at the orphanage, she also expressed the desire to become a nun. Clémence forbade this, instead placing her in employment. Christine had been trained in various household duties in the orphanage, which eased her into becoming a live-in
maid A maid, housemaid, or maidservant is a female domestic worker. In the Victorian era, domestic service was the second-largest category of employment in England and Wales, after agricultural work. In developed Western nations, full-time maids a ...
. Christine was described as a hard worker and a good cook who could be insubordinate at times. Léa was described as quiet, introverted, and obedient, but was considered less intelligent than Christine. Employers were content with their work, but Clémence was not satisfied with their pay and forced them to seek better-paid opportunities. The sisters worked as maids in various Le Mans homes. They preferred to work together whenever possible.


Crimes

In 1926, Christine and Léa found live-in positions as maids at 6 rue Bruyère for the Lancelin family; Monsieur René Lancelin, a retired
solicitor A solicitor is a lawyer who traditionally deals with most of the legal matters in some jurisdictions. A person must have legally defined qualifications, which vary from one jurisdiction to another, to be described as a solicitor and enabled to p ...
, his wife Madame Léonie Lancelin, and their younger daughter Genevieve lived in the house (the elder daughter was married). Although initially only Christine was employed, after a few months of excellent service she convinced Madame Lancelin to also hire Léa as a
chambermaid A maid, housemaid, or maidservant is a female domestic worker. In the Victorian era, domestic service was the second-largest category of employment in England and Wales, after agricultural work. In developed Western nations, full-time maids a ...
. The Papin sisters dedicated their lives to working long days doing their job. Some years after Christine and Léa started working for the family, Madame Léonie developed depression. She deteriorated, not handling her struggles well; targeting of the Papins developed as her unhealthy coping mechanism. She began to scrutinize the cleaning and had become critical of the job done. There were various occasions of Madame Lancelin reportedly physically assaulting them. The abuse worsened: at its peak she would slam the sisters' heads against the wall. On the evening of Thursday, February 2, 1933, Monsieur Lancelin was supposed to meet Madame Léonie and Genevieve for dinner at the home of a family friend. Madame Léonie and Genevieve had been out shopping that day. When they returned home that afternoon, no lights were on in the house. The Papin sisters explained to Madame Lancelin that the power outage had been caused by Christine plugging in a faulty iron. Madame Lancelin became irritated and attacked the sisters on the first-floor landing. Christine lunged at Genevieve and gouged her eyes out. Léa joined in the struggle and attacked Madame Lancelin, gouging her eyes out as ordered by Christine. Christine ran downstairs to the kitchen where she retrieved a knife and a hammer. She brought both weapons upstairs, where the sisters continued hitting the Lancelin women, slashing and bludgeoning them. At some point, one of the sisters grabbed a heavy pewter pitcher and used it to strike the heads of both Lancelin women. In the midst of the rage, they mutilated the buttocks and thighs of the victims. Some time later, Monsieur Lancelin returned home to find the house dark. He assumed that his wife and daughter had left for the dinner party and proceeded to the party himself. When he arrived at his friend's home, he found that his family was not there. He returned to his residence with his son-in-law at approximately 18:30 or 19:00, where they discovered the entire house still dark except for a light in the Papin sisters' room. The front door was bolted shut from the inside, so they were unable to enter the house. The two men found this suspicious and went to a local police station to summon help from an officer. Together with the policeman, they returned to the Lancelin home where the policeman made entry into the home by climbing over the garden wall. Once inside, he found the bodies of Madame Lancelin and her daughter Genevieve. They had both been bludgeoned and stabbed to the point of being unrecognizable. Madame Lancelin's eyes had been gouged out and were found in the folds of the scarf around her neck, and one of Genevieve's eyes was found under her body and another on the stairs at the other end of the hallway. Thinking that the Papin sisters had met the same fate, the policeman continued upstairs only to find the door to the Papin sisters' room locked. After the officer knocked but received no response, he summoned a locksmith to open the door. Inside the room, he found the Papin sisters naked in bed together, and a bloody hammer, with hair still clinging to it, on a chair nearby. Under questioning, the sisters immediately confessed to the killing.


Trial and imprisonment

The sisters confessed to the murders immediately; however, they claimed that they had been committed in self-defense. During the trial, the sisters protected each other and each confessed sole responsibility for the crimes committed. The sisters were placed in prison and separated from each other. Christine became extremely distressed because she could not see Léa. At one point, prison officials relented and allowed the two sisters to meet. Christine reportedly threw herself at Léa, unbuttoning her blouse, begging her "Please, say yes!" suggesting an incestuous sexual relationship. In July 1933, Christine experienced a "fit", or episode, in which she tried to gouge her own eyes out and had to be put in a
straitjacket A straitjacket is a garment shaped like a jacket with long sleeves that surpass the tips of the wearer's fingers. Its most typical use is restraining people who may cause harm to themselves or others. Once the wearer's arms are in the sleeves, ...
. She then made a statement to the investigating magistrate, in which she said that on the day of the murders she had experienced an episode like the one she just had in prison and that this was what precipitated the murders. The sisters' chosen lawyer pleaded
not guilty by reason of insanity Not or NOT may also refer to: Language * Not, the general declarative form of "no", indicating a negation of a related statement that usually precedes * ... Not!, a grammatical construction used as a contradiction, popularized in the early 1990 ...
on behalf of them. Christine and Léa demonstrated signs of mental illness such as limiting eye contact and staring straight ahead appearing to be in a daze. The court appointed three doctors to administer psychological evaluations of the sisters to determine their mental state. They concluded that the two had no
mental disorder A mental disorder, also referred to as a mental illness, a mental health condition, or a psychiatric disability, is a behavioral or mental pattern that causes significant distress or impairment of personal functioning. A mental disorder is ...
s and deemed them sane and fit to stand trial. They also believed that Christine's affection for her sister was based on family ties, not an incestuous relationship as others had suggested. However, during the September 1933 trial, medical testimony noted a history of mental illness in the family. Their uncle had died by suicide, while their cousin was living in an asylum. The psychological community struggled and debated over a diagnosis for the sisters. After much consideration, it was concluded that Christine and Léa suffered from " Shared Paranoid Disorder", which is believed to occur when groups or pairs of people are isolated from the world, developing
paranoia Paranoia is an instinct or thought process that is believed to be heavily influenced by anxiety, suspicion, or fear, often to the point of delusion and irrationality. Paranoid thinking typically includes persecutory beliefs, or beliefs of co ...
, and in which one partner dominates the other. This was especially true of Léa, whose meek personality was overshadowed by the obstinate and dominant Christine. After the trial, jurors took 40 minutes to determine that the Papin sisters were indeed guilty of the crime of which they had been accused. Léa, thought to be under the influence of her older sister, was given a 10-year sentence. Christine was initially sentenced to death at the
guillotine A guillotine ( ) is an apparatus designed for effectively carrying out executions by Decapitation, beheading. The device consists of a tall, upright frame with a weighted and angled blade suspended at the top. The condemned person is secur ...
, although that sentence was later commuted to life imprisonment.


Deaths

The separation from Léa proved to be too much for Christine. Her condition deteriorated rapidly once they were apart. She had written various letters pleading to be with Léa; however, her wish was not to be granted. She experienced bouts of depression and "madness", eventually refusing to eat. Prison officials transferred her to a mental institution in
Rennes Rennes (; ; Gallo language, Gallo: ''Resnn''; ) is a city in the east of Brittany in Northwestern France at the confluence of the rivers Ille and Vilaine. Rennes is the prefecture of the Brittany (administrative region), Brittany Regions of F ...
, hoping that she would benefit from professional help. Still separated from Léa, she continued to starve herself until she died of
cachexia Cachexia () is a syndrome that happens when people have certain illnesses, causing muscle loss that cannot be fully reversed with improved nutrition. It is most common in diseases like cancer, Heart failure, congestive heart failure, chronic o ...
("wasting away") on May 18, 1937. Léa fared better than Christine, serving only eight years of her 10-year sentence due to good behavior in prison. After her release in 1941, she lived in the town of
Nantes Nantes (, ; ; or ; ) is a city in the Loire-Atlantique department of France on the Loire, from the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast. The city is the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, sixth largest in France, with a pop ...
, where she was joined by her mother. She assumed a false identity and earned a living as a hotel maid. Some accounts state that Léa died in 1982, but French film producer Claude Ventura alleged Léa was living in a hospice center in France in 2000 while creating the film ''En Quête des Soeurs Papin'' (in English ''In Search of the Papin Sisters''). Ventura in the film interviews neighbours of the alleged Papin, who said she had suffered a stroke which had rendered her partially paralyzed and unable to speak. This woman died in 2001. The sisters are buried together in the Cimeterie Boutellerie in
Nantes Nantes (, ; ; or ; ) is a city in the Loire-Atlantique department of France on the Loire, from the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast. The city is the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, sixth largest in France, with a pop ...
.


Works inspired by the case

* ''
The Maids ''The Maids'' ( ) is a 1947 play by the French dramatist Jean Genet. It was first performed at the Théâtre de l'Athénée in Paris in a production that opened on 17 April 1947, which Louis Jouvet directed. The play has been revived in Fr ...
(Les Bonnes)'', a play by
Jean Genet Jean Genet (; ; – ) was a French novelist, playwright, poet, essayist, and political activist. In his early life he was a vagabond and petty criminal, but he later became a writer and playwright. His major works include the novels '' The Th ...
* ''
The Maids ''The Maids'' ( ) is a 1947 play by the French dramatist Jean Genet. It was first performed at the Théâtre de l'Athénée in Paris in a production that opened on 17 April 1947, which Louis Jouvet directed. The play has been revived in Fr ...
'', a film based on the play, directed by
Christopher Miles Christopher Miles (19 April 1939 – 15 September 2023) was a British film director, producer and screenwriter. Personal life Christopher Miles was born in London, England, the eldest of four children to Clarice Remnant (‘Wren’), a councill ...
* ''My Sister in This House'', a play by
Wendy Kesselman Wendy Kesselman is an American playwright. Life Wendy Kesselman joined the Actors Theatre of Louisville in 1980. She lives in Wellfleet, Massachusetts Wellfleet is a New England town, town in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, Barnstable Co ...
* ''
Sister My Sister ''Sister My Sister'' is a 1994 film starring British actresses Julie Walters, Joely Richardson, and Jodhi May. The film was directed by Nancy Meckler and written by Wendy Kesselman, based on her own play, ''My Sister in This House''. The film i ...
'', a 1994 film by
Nancy Meckler Nancy Meckler is an American-born director, known for her approach to theatre, specifically her work in the United Kingdom with Shared Experience, where she was a joint artistic director alongside Polly Teale. Educated in the US and England,Cr ...
, adapted from Kesselman's play * ''
Les Abysses ''Les Abysses'' is a 1963 French crime film directed by Nikos Papatakis. It was entered into the 1963 Cannes Film Festival. A violent and surrealistic mixture of farce and social commentary, its story was inspired by the real-life case of the P ...
'', a film directed by Nikos Papatakis * ''
La Cérémonie ''La Cérémonie'' ( English: lit. ''The Ceremony'') is a 1995 French-German psychological thriller film by Claude Chabrol, adapted from the 1977 novel '' A Judgement in Stone'' by Ruth Rendell. The film echoes the case of Christine and Lea Papi ...
'', a film directed by
Claude Chabrol Claude Henri Jean Chabrol (; 24 June 1930 – 12 September 2010) was a French film director and a member of the French New Wave (''nouvelle vague'') group of filmmakers who first came to prominence at the end of the 1950s. Like his colleagues an ...
* ''Violets'', a 2015 short film directed by Jim Vendiola * ''Les Soeurs Papin'', a book by R. le Texier * ''Blood Sisters'', a stage play and screenplay by Neil Paton * ''L'Affaire Papin'', a book by Paulette Houdyer * ''La Solution du passage à l'acte'', a book by Francis Dupré * "The Murder in Le Mans", an essay in ''Paris Was Yesterday'' by
Janet Flanner Janet Flanner (March 13, 1892 – November 7, 1978) was an American writer and pioneering narrative journalist who served as the Paris correspondent of ''The New Yorker'' magazine from 1925 until she retired in 1975.Yagoda, Ben ''About T ...
* ''La Ligature'', a short film by Gilles Cousin * ''Les Meurtres par Procuration'', a book by Jean-Claude Asfour * ''Lady Killers'', a book by Joyce Robins * ''Minotaure'' #3, 1933, a magazine * ''The Maids'', an opera by Peter Bengtson * '' Les Blessures assassines'' (English : ''Murderous Maids''), a film by Jean-Pierre Denis *
En Quete des Soeurs Papin (In Search of the Papin Sisters)
', a documentary film by Claude Ventura * ''Gros Proces des l'Histoire'', a book by M. Mamouni * ''L'Affaire Papin'', a book by Genevieve Fortin * ''The Papin Sisters'', a book by Rachel Edwards and Keith Reader * ''The Maids'', artwork by Dame
Paula Rego Dame Maria Paula Figueiroa Rego (: 26 January 1935 – 8 June 2022) was a Portuguese visual artist, widely considered the pre-eminent woman artist of the late 20th and early 21st century, known particularly for her paintings and prints based o ...
* ''Anna la bonne'', a 1934 "spoken song" written by
Jean Cocteau Jean Maurice Eugène Clément Cocteau ( , ; ; 5 July 1889 11 October 1963) was a French poet, playwright, novelist, designer, film director, visual artist and critic. He was one of the foremost avant-garde artists of the 20th-c ...
and performed by
Marianne Oswald Marianne Oswald (January 9, 1901 – February 25, 1985) was the stage name of Sarah Alice Bloch, a French singer and actress born in Sarreguemines in Alsace-Lorraine. She took this stage name from a character she much admired, the unhappy Oswald ...
. This was inspired by Poe's
Annabel Lee "Annabel Lee" is the last complete poem composed by American author Edgar Allan Poe. Like many of Poe's poems, it explores the theme of the death of a beautiful woman.Meyers, Jeffrey. ''Edgar Allan Poe: His Life and Legacy''. New York: Cooper Squ ...
rather than the Papin case, but it influences Genet's "Les Bonnes". * Possibly "Tomorrow," episode 2.7 of the television series '' Law & Order Criminal Intent'' * Deadly Women (Double Trouble) * ''
Maids A maid, housemaid, or maidservant is a female domestic worker. In the Victorian era, domestic service was the second-largest category of employment in England and Wales, after agricultural work. In developed Western nations, full-time maids a ...
'', a comic by Katie Skelly * ''
Parasite Parasitism is a Symbiosis, close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives (at least some of the time) on or inside another organism, the Host (biology), host, causing it some harm, and is Adaptation, adapted str ...
'', a 2019 film by
Bong Joon-ho Bong Joon Ho (, ; born September 14, 1969) is a South Korean filmmaker. Bong Joon Ho filmography, His work is characterized by emphasis on social and class themes, genre fiction, genre-mixing, black comedy, dark comedy, and sudden tone shifts. ...
which won the
Academy Award for Best Picture The Academy Award for Best Picture is one of the Academy Awards (also known as Oscars) presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) since the awards debuted in 1929. This award goes to the producers of the film a ...
and
Cannes Cannes (, ; , ; ) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a communes of France, commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes departments of France, department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions Internatio ...
Palme d'Or The (; ) is the highest prize awarded to the director of the Best Feature Film of the Official Competition at the Cannes Film Festival. It was introduced in 1955 by the festival's organizing committee. Previously, from 1939 to 1954, the festiv ...


''Les Bonnes'' by Jean Genet

The play ''Les Bonnes'' by French writer
Jean Genet Jean Genet (; ; – ) was a French novelist, playwright, poet, essayist, and political activist. In his early life he was a vagabond and petty criminal, but he later became a writer and playwright. His major works include the novels '' The Th ...
often is thought to be based on the Papin sisters, although Genet said this was not the case. However, the play deals with the plight of two French maids who resemble the Papin sisters, and highlights the dissatisfaction of the maids with their lot in life, which manifests itself in a hatred for their mistress. Genet's interest in the crime of the Papin sisters stemmed at least partly from his contempt for the middle classes, along with his understanding of how a murderer could glory in the infamy that came from the crime.


See also

*
Case of Aimée The Case of Aimée concerned the Frenchwoman Marguerite Pantaine, who in 1931 attacked the celebrity actress Huguette Duflos. Marguerite was hospitalised in a mental hospital, and was treated by Jacques Lacan, becoming the subject of his doctoral ...
*
Popular Front (France) The Popular Front (, ) was an alliance of left-wing movements in France, including the French Communist Party (PCF), the socialist SFIO and the Radical-Socialist Republican Party, during the interwar period. Three months after the victory of ...
, for more on the political climate of the times.


References


Bibliography

* * *


Further reading

*


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Papin, Christine and Lea 1905 births 1937 deaths 1911 births 2001 deaths 20th-century murderers Criminal sister duos French female murderers French people convicted of murder Murderer duos