The Tombe à la fille (Girl's tomb) is a small tomb located in the woods of
Teillay,
Brittany
Brittany ( ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the north-west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica in Roman Gaul. It became an Kingdom of Brittany, independent kingdom and then a Duch ...
,
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 ...
. According to local tradition, a girl killed by the
Chouan
Chouan (, "the silent one", or "owl") is a French nickname. It was used as a nom de guerre by the Chouan brothers, most notably Jean Cottereau, better known as Jean Chouan, who led a major revolt in Bas-Maine against the French Revolution. Part ...
s during the
French Revolution is buried there. Today it is a place of great devotion in the region. The tomb is regularly covered with flowers, and children's clothes are always hung on the surrounding vegetation.
History
The girl buried there was Marie Martin, born in
Tresboeuf and living in
Teillay; at the time of death she was 17 to 19 years old. Although several narratives exist about the reason for her murder, one of the most credited claims is that she would have indicated to the Republicans of
Bain-de-Bretagne
Bain-de-Bretagne (, Gallo: ''Bóen'') is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France.
Geography
The river Semnon forms part of the commune's northern boundary.
Population
Inhabitants of Bain-de-Bretagne a ...
the hiding place of a group of
Chouan
Chouan (, "the silent one", or "owl") is a French nickname. It was used as a nom de guerre by the Chouan brothers, most notably Jean Cottereau, better known as Jean Chouan, who led a major revolt in Bas-Maine against the French Revolution. Part ...
s (or, on the contrary, refused to indicate the hiding place of the revolutionaries).
She was captured and tortured for a long time by the Chouans, who let her die whilst tied to a tree.
This girl is also remembered as ''Sainte Pataude'' (clumsy); clumsy is the nickname given to the Republicans by the Chouans in
Gallo (patao).;
Bibliography
* Jean-Claude Schmitt, ''Les Saints et les stars: le texte hagiographique dans la culture populaire: études'', Parigi, Beauchesne, 1983, .
* Frank Tallett,''Catholicism in Britain & France Since 1789'', Londra e Rio Grande, The Hambledon Press, 1996, .
* Caroline C. Ford, ''Divided Houses: Religion and Gender in Modern France'', Ithaca e Londra, Cornell University Press, 2005, .
Notes
External links
{{Authority control
1795 sculptures
Granite sculptures in France
Tombs in France
Brittany