LOUDUN, URSULINES OF. — The community founded in 1626 by the Ursulines of Poitiers (Congregation of Bordeaux) in Loudun, a city in the diocese of Poitiers, with a boarding school for young girls, became famous for the diabolical possessions that lasted from 1632 to 1638. Sister Giovanna degli Angeli (born Jeanne de Belcier) was the prioress of the new community, composed of 17 nuns belonging to the high aristocracy, including a relative of Richelieu.
The dean of the canons of Sainte-Croix, Mignon, was chosen as chaplain of the Institute, a position coveted by Canon Urbano Grandier, parish priest of Saint-Pierre in Loudun. Influential because of his qualities but of ambiguous moral conduct, Grandier had many enemies: exiled forever from Loudun, he managed to return, arousing ill-feeling in the city.
Lotto, Lorenzo – Virgin Enthroned with Saints – Ancona, Pinacoteca.
In 1632, Sister Giovanna degli Angeli was accused of diabolical possession, with typical manifestations; the prior of Fresne and Grandier appeared to her, whose affairs were the talk of everyone. Soon all the nuns felt themselves possessed, with terrifying excesses: they recounted the same visions, pronounced Grandier’s name, claiming he had unleashed hell in the monastery by throwing a bouquet of roses from the surrounding wall. On 11 October, Mignon, with two neighboring parish priests, began public exorcisms in the presence of doctors and authorities, but with no result. An inquiry ordered by the metropolitan archbishop of Bordeaux, Henri de Sourdis, revealed that this was not a case of possession but rather of hysteria: exorcisms were therefore suspended and severe penalties imposed on those who interfered in the matter.
However, J. M. de Laubardemont, military intendant and counselor to Louis XIII, Richelieu’s trusted man, arrived in Loudun with the task of suppressing Grandier; interrogations began, and the demons, which had not molested anyone for some time, once again had free rein and took possession not only of the nuns but also of some girls. Grandier was condemned to be burned at the stake on 23 August 1633, despite two nuns having retracted their accusations. The possession continued even after Grandier’s death: Fr. J. J. Surin, a Jesuit in charge of the exorcisms, himself became obsessed, so much so that his superiors removed him from Loudun. Finally, in 1638, when Richelieu suspended the pensions, the exorcists dispersed and the possessed women regained their composure.
The affair is very strange and perplexing, as was the earlier case of Aix, which led to the burning at the stake of Abbé Jacques Gaufridy (1612) for “magic.” Modern historians do not attribute responsibility for the possessions to Grandier, who never entered the monastery. Many reservations arise regarding the manner in which the events unfolded and the people involved. The exorcists, dependent on civil authority, became docile officials. While Catholics hoped to use it as an easy means to convert heretics and libertines, these denied the validity of the possessions at Loudun. The nuns themselves did not escape the epidemic nature of the phenomenon. Sister Giovanna is a complex figure who does not present characteristics of proven sanctity; she was dominated by the desire to make herself talked about throughout her life.