Englishmen in the French Revolution/Appendix B
B.
Narrative of the English Benedictine Nuns, Rue de
l'Alouette, Paris.
(From a MS. at Stoneyhurst College. See page 160.)
The community of Benedictines, established in the Rue de Champ de l'Alouette, in Paris, in the year 1652, remained under the protection of Divine Providence in the regular observance of their rules and constitutions, until the year 1792; in which year their convent, as well as all other religious establishments in France, were put "en arrestation," by reason of the Revolution, which began in the year 1788.
From this year until 1792 the community continued in alarm on this account, and at the same time were afflicted with much sickness among themselves. Their worthy superior, Mrs. Bond, was taken ill of her last sickness, which deprived the community of her at the beginning of their troubles; also in the same year died three choir religious, and in the beginning of the following year two lay sisters. At the end of this same year died also our most worthy friend and respected superior, who acted for the communities under the Archbishop. In this moment of distress at the death of our dear and lamented Mother Prioress the nuns were greatly terrified by a report that the people in the "Quartiers" intended to take up the body as soon as they could. The religious sent to the "Section" to beg that guards should be sent, and they were so. They patrolled the gardens in the night, and the nuns watched within. But nevertheless they found the only way to secure it was to open the grave and transport the body into another which they had made for that purpose during the night. It was doubtful for what reason the people had this intention. This was in November, four months after the taking of the Bastille, which was the beginning of the depredations caused by the Revolution. The convent being in the neighbourhood of the Bastille, on its being set on fire, their sick, particularly the Reverend Mother Prioress, who then lay in a dying state, were greatly alarmed by the firing of guns, shoutings, drumming, &c., which continued day and night for some weeks. The smoke and blazing of the flames were terrifying to all, so that the nuns had much to do to support their courage and compose the minds of their sick. The Assembly of the States then gave orders for the church-doors of the convents to be shut, and this, indeed, the religious found very agreeable. But then came the mobs, consisting of the worst sort of people, who surrounded the convent. The nuns, not knowing what to do, sent out to them in a kind manner to know if they wished for any refreshment and it should be given to them. This pleased them, and after having taken plenty they dispersed, without using any violence.
Then came orders from the parish that no Mass was to be said in the church of the convent by any priest, except he had faculties from the "intruding curate." But this order the community positively refused to obey, saying they neither could nor would acknowledge any other authority than their own Archbishop, who was not then in Paris. And it is remarkable that they were not offended, but went away in a respectful manner and assured the nuns of their protection. Next came the curate of the parish, desiring that the usual preparations should be made, it being within the Octave of the Feast of Corpus Christi, when the procession is made to all the convents in each parish. The nuns said their church-doors were shut by the orders of the Municipality. He said he should have them opened again. They replied, if he intended to use force they could not help it, but as he was not their lawful superior and pastor, they could not open the doors.
The curé then went away, and sent a commissioner, who came in a very civil manner and asked if he could prevail upon them to have the church-doors opened. But he was answered "No." He then asked if they would hang the street with tapestry as usual. They said "Yes;" at this he seemed surprised that he should gain so much, and returned several times to ask if he had understood them right.
But as the police could demand this, they thought it better to do so. Some time after this the civil magistrates gave orders that all the church-doors belonging to the convents should be opened. And after this their church remained so till they were imprisoned in their own convent, which took place on October 3, 1793, at which time all the other churches in France were demolished. People then came from all parts of Paris to attend Mass in the nuns' church. Their friends began to be much alarmed for the safety of the religious on this account. But the common people insisted on it so much that the magistrates ordered the doors should remain open.
The first visit in which they entered the convent was in the autumn of the year 1793. A body of men, with their leader, demanded entrance, surrounded by a vast number of people. This visit was made to find French writings. But all had been previously destroyed, except one letter from a deputy, which they approved of. The second visit was on Holy Thursday, about two o'clock in the afternoon. This was to discover if there were any priests concealed; but not finding any, they went to search "the deposit," and after having inspected its contents, they permitted each religious to take out the parchment whereon her vows were written, and then put the seal of the "Grand Nation" on all the papers, contracts, registers, &c. The third visit was made on the 8th of September, in the same year (1793), at about two o'clock in the morning. After having visited the confessor's apartments, and sealed up his money, papers, &c., they then rang the bells in a very hasty manner, and continued to do so till they had alarmed the whole convent, saying the religious need not dress, but must open the doors immediately, as they, the administrators of the Great Nation, were come to search for writings, &c. When they entered, the sight, noise, and confusion were terrible to the nuns. They searched every cell, turned over all they pleased, and proceeded on in this violence till near five in the morning, when they permitted the nuns to leave them and go to the choir to say matins, some among them acknowledging it to be the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin. The superior and another religious remained with the commissioners, and they went out, which was before six o'clock in the morning. The fourth visit was made on the 3rd of October, in the afternoon, and on this, the religious were all made prisoners, having been denounced as holding assemblies in their house. And when the inquiry had been held and the accusation found to be false, according to the orders from the "Departement" to place the community under arrest, they were placed under a guard, to be maintained at their expense. After making a strict search through the convent, and an inventory of all its effects, they departed about midnight. They returned next day, and after visiting the confessor's apartments, placed him also under a guard, at his expense.
Then came commissioners from the "Departement" to view the convent within and without, to fit it up for the reception of prisoners, whom, to tranquillise the nuns, they said should be only ladies of their own nation. In the beginning of November the concierge, or keeper of the prison, came to announce himself and show his powers in form. The first interview showed what the community had to expect; he said the confessor should be sent away to another prison, but that they would give us another. But. the Rev. Mother Prioress, who had been selected at the death of Mrs, Bond, viz., Mrs. Theresa Johnson, replied that we would on no account receive any other if sent to us. He answered that in that case she should be sent to another prison.
On the 8th of November the prisoners began to enter; but till some time after the nuns continued their choir duties. The keeper informed the superior that the "Departement" were collecting from each church all the sacred vessels, and said that the "Section" sent orders for her to prepare for their coming. They came, and entered the church. The confessor had made all things ready, and left open the door of the tabernacle; they took away thence all the plate, as well as that which remained in the sacristy.
The nuns got from a friend a pewter chalice, &c., and the confessor said Mass on the 23rd of the same month. The fifth visit was to make a still more strict search for all the plate, &c.
They obliged the prioress to go out into the confessor's apartments, which were without of the enclosure, and there to make a declaration of all the plate she had, signifying that it would be a capital crime if she kept anything which belonged to the nation. They took the Remonstrance, Thuribles, silver figures from the crosses, spoons, &c., and everything they could find to be silver, and all the gold lace from the vestments. The community continued to have Mass said till the 25th of November, when the keeper informed them, that they could no longer have Mass, and that he expected the "Commissaires" from the section. They came and called for the superior to attend them in the church, there to give them an account of all the copper and brass belonging to the church. This was a mere ceremony, as they then began to strip both the church and the choir. Their looks, dress, and actions were equally dreadful, and can only be compared to our ideas of infernal beings. They tore down the shrines, pictures, and crosses. With joy mixed with fury they kicked up and down the church what they threw down. They acted in a similar manner in the sacristy and chapter-house, where all the ornaments were kept, so that all was taken away and the large cupboards pulled down. On the 1st of December 1793 our worthy and much respected confessor, the Rev. Father John Placid Nailor, was taken away from the community and placed with several others in the Scotch college, which was also made a prison.
He had been for a long time in a very bad state of health, and could not attend on the community for some weeks, or if he did, it was with the assistance of his man, who brought him downstairs to the parlour grate, that in this time of distress he might be able to speak to the nuns and they to him. But having found benefit from blisters on his legs, he recovered so far as to be able to walk, although the blisters were never properly healed. In this suffering state the keeper left him no peace till he got him transferred. In a few weeks he was again taken from the prison at the Scotch college, and carried to his own convent, which belonged to the Benedictine monks at St. Edmund's, which was also now made a prison.
The good prior, the Rev. Mr. Parker, rendered him all the service in his power, and he remained there until December 1794, when he was set at liberty, at which time the community being transferred to their third prison, which was at the English Austin nuns, Rue des Fossés St. Victor in Paris, Mr. Nailor took lodgings in the seminary belonging to the Eudistes in Rue des Postes, which was then in the possession of the nation. But a lay brother hired it and let it out to priests and chosen lodgers, through which they had the means of having Mass, which he said daily until a few days before his death.
He came to the Fossés several times to see the community before he fell sick, and they were permitted to speak to him, the first time since their separation, through an iron grate in the street door in presence of the guard. But as the Rev. Mother Prioress was confined to her bed and could not walk, they obtained permission from the keeper that Mr. Nailor might be conducted by the keeper's wife into the community's apartments, and he made a short and farewell visit to them all. He returned home, and died on the 16th of January 1795.
To return to the before-named period, November 1793, when the community were placed under arrest in their own convent, Rue du Champ de l'Alouette.
The house began to be crowded with prisoners of both sexes, consisting chiefly of nobility—a German prince and his brother, a princess who, taken from the convent in the night with twelve or thirteen other prisoners to the prison of St. Pélagie, and in a few days were put to death. The Duke and Duchess de ——— were confined with her in the convent, and attended her till she was carried away. Their sister, the Countess d'Albane, also was detained, with their daughter, the Duchess de Montmorency, with their child and attendant. In short, their number increased so rapidly that the keeper called for all the rooms, in which he placed the prisoners according to their rank.
In the council room and the library adjoining to it were four or five ladies. In the chapter house a family. In each room in the infirmary five or six ladies. In the novices' rooms seven bedsteads, one of iron for the Duke, who was so large a man that he could not enter at some of the room doors, and when the Duchess his daughter was ill he could not enter her chamber to visit her, because the doorway would not admit him. In the work-room were as many bedsteads as could stand. They were removed during the day, and all the gentlemen occupied it till late at night, when their beds were made. In the refectory as many beds were placed as could stand side by side; the same was the case in the cloisters and outhouses, and in this manner the whole enclosure was filled from top to bottom.
But it was a happy circumstance for the religious that their convent, being in a remote part of the city, was for that reason chosen as the more secure prison for the nobility; by which means there happened to be none in it but those from whom nuns experienced the best behaviour and on every occasion kindness and respect. And it is but justice to observe that the manner in which this portion of the French nobility behaved in such afflicting circumstances was truly Christian and edifying to those who were in prison with them. Several among them suffered death, and prepared themselves for it, having neither priests nor sacraments. A lady and her son eighteen years of age were brought in. She had lived too much in the dissipation of high life. She was observed to walk about alone and look very sad under her misfortunes. Sometimes she would cast up her eyes towards the windows of the nuns' cells when in the court, but as the religious kept themselves apart shut up in their cells, she could not speak to them as she seemed to wish to do. But one day she ventured to knock at one of the cell doors under the pretext of presenting the nun with a silk gown. In this interview she unfolded her heart and declared the afflicted state of her mind. Expecting shortly to be put to death, and being totally unprepared, having for a long time neglected her duty to God, she begged the nuns would assist her to implore Heaven on her behalf. Some days after was brought to the prison a very worthy and respectable priest, who was an uncle of this lady. He was a chanoine of the Church of St. Geneviève, and had disapproved much of his niece's conduct.
She finding this favourable opportunity, which she considered as sent from God, lost no time in making herself known to him, who was ignorant where she was. He gave her his assistance in such a manner that she was enabled to die in a very happy manner very shortly after. She was beheaded with her son and daughter and several others on the same day. The religious were now deprived of their church, choir, and every part of the convent except their cells and a small room in the infirmary. The gardens and burial-ground were likewise all occupied for the use of the prisoners, for whose convenience the graves were laid flat, and the chapel of the Blessed Virgin, which stood in the middle of the cemetery, taken down, all the crosses burnt, and the large gravestones carried off. They then made gravel walks over the graves and turned the whole into a pleasure garden, which was filled every day with gentlemen as well as ladies. The nuns, being still in the religious dress, remained as near together as possible, observing their regular duties as punctually as their situation would permit, surrounded by alarms and continually insulted by the keeper for appearing in the religious dress, so that they could not pass from room to room with safety. On the 29th of December they put off the religious habit.
From the time the religious were put under arrest, all their effects were put in sequestration, so that they could receive no rents; therefore, from the 3rd of October till the 24th of December 1793, the community had to maintain themselves from what small property remained in the house, which was merely sufficient to keep them alive. On the 24th of December the Commissioners came from the department, and brought for each nun 200 livres, from which sum they had to pay the guard. It being now the depth of winter, and every room taken from the community which had a chimney in it, the nuns were obliged by reason of the cold to confine themselves to their cells. . . .
[Here the MS. breaks off. On the 15th of July the nuns were removed in the night, in six coaches, to the Castle of Vincennes, locked up in narrow cells, unable to see out of their windows. Four months after, they were taken back to Paris in a cart, and brought to the Convent of the Austin nuns in the Fossés St. Victor, who were also prisoners in their own house. On the 1st of March 1795 they regained their liberty, and recovered part of their linen and furniture. By the sale of these they raised supplies for their journey, left Paris June 19th, and arrived in London July 5th, 1795. They settled in the same year at Marnhull in Dorsetshire, and eventually removed to Colwich, Staffordshire.]