The Possessions of Louviers

The Louviers possessions of the 1640s were a French demonic possession case that led to the exhumation and burning of a dead priest. Like the contemporary Loudun case, it involved accusations of witchcraft by allegedly possessed nuns.

The Convent

The Franciscan convent at Louviers had a reputation for unorthodox practices under its confessor, Father David. After David’s death in 1628, his successor, Father Thomas Boullé, was said to continue the strange rituals, which allegedly included nocturnal sabbaths in the convent garden.

The Possessions

Beginning in 1643, nuns at the convent began exhibiting signs of demonic possession. They convulsed, spoke in strange voices, and accused Father Boullé and the deceased Father David of bewitching them. The most dramatic case was Sister Madeleine Bavent, who made elaborate confessions.

The Exorcisms

Public exorcisms drew crowds as the possessed nuns writhed, screamed blasphemies, and accused their confessors of horrendous crimes. The Church investigation concluded that genuine diabolic possession had occurred.

The Verdict

Father Boullé was convicted of witchcraft and burned alive in 1647. More remarkably, Father David’s corpse was exhumed and burned alongside him. Sister Madeleine was imprisoned, eventually recanting her confessions but dying in the church’s custody.

Assessment

Like Loudun, the Louviers case likely combined hysteria, institutional politics, and the prosecution of inconvenient clergy. The exhumation of a corpse to face execution shows how seriously authorities took these accusations in 17th century France.