Meowing Nuns of Medieval France
Nuns in a French convent began meowing like cats. The meowing spread. Eventually, all the nuns meowed together for hours each day. Only the threat of soldiers with rods finally stopped them.
In medieval France, an entire convent of nuns began meowing like cats—one of history’s strangest examples of mass psychogenic illness in religious communities.
The Event
According to historical accounts:
At a French convent:
- One nun began meowing like a cat
- Other nuns began meowing as well
- Eventually, all the nuns meowed together
- They meowed for several hours every day
- The behavior continued for weeks
The Context
Medieval convents were:
- Isolated communities
- Strictly controlled environments
- Places of suppressed emotions
- Hotbeds for contagious behavior
- Sites of numerous strange outbreaks
The Solution
The meowing only stopped when:
- Soldiers were stationed outside the convent
- They threatened to beat the nuns with rods
- The meowing gradually ceased
- Fear overrode the compulsive behavior
Similar Cases
The meowing nuns weren’t unique:
German Convent: Nuns began biting each other. The biting spread from convent to convent.
Italian Convent: Nuns began bleating like sheep.
Various locations: Dancing, fainting, and speaking in tongues affected religious houses.
Why Convents?
These outbreaks often occurred in:
- All-female communities
- Strict hierarchical environments
- Places of emotional suppression
- Isolated settings
- During periods of stress
Modern Understanding
Psychologists explain:
- Conversion disorder (psychological stress becomes physical symptoms)
- Social contagion (behaviors spread through observation)
- Emotional release in repressive environments
- Cultural expectations of possession/divine influence
The Cat Connection
Why cats specifically?
- Cats were associated with witchcraft and the devil
- Being “possessed” by a cat-spirit was conceptually possible
- The meowing may have expressed forbidden feelings
- Or it began randomly and spread
Historical Significance
These episodes show:
- Mass psychogenic illness has always existed
- Closed communities are vulnerable
- Social contagion is powerful
- Medieval people understood little about psychology
Sources
- Historical documentation of medieval convent life
- Studies of mass psychogenic illness