Paris: Inauguration of a garden in memory of the victims of the Saint-Barthélemy massacre
This Friday, September 16, the mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo inaugurated a memorial garden of Saint-Barthélémy. 450 years after this massacre which marked history, the city of Paris has decided to pay tribute to the thousands of Protestants, victims of religious violence.
This year marked the 450th anniversary of the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre. On August 24, 1572, thousands of Protestants were murdered in Paris and other cities in France in the following days. Men, women and children were hunted down, tortured, murdered and their bodies thrown into the Seine, victims of religious fanaticism.
It is estimated that this massacre caused nearly 3 deaths in Paris and up to 000 throughout France.
450 years after the tragedy, Paris has decided to pay tribute to the victims by inaugurating a memorial garden of Saint-Barthélémy this Friday, September 16. It is located in the heart of Paris, where it all began, in front of the church of Saint-Germain-L'Auxerrois, near the Louvre in the 1st arrondissement.
Inauguration of the garden commemorating the massacre of Saint Bartholomew. #saintbarthelemy #intolerance #fpf ##FPF #Protestantism pic.twitter.com/GpbNCKObDO
— Baptist Federation (@FedeBaptiste) September 16, 2022
The mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo spoke at the inauguration. In his speech she notably recalled that "we live in a worrying time where hate speech is spreading like a deadly poison, where falsifications of history are multiplying". She believes that this place has “never been more necessary”.
Moving inauguration of the Saint-Barthélemy memorial garden in the heart of Paris. 450 years later, this place has never been more necessary. To transmit the memory of this massacre where 10000 Protestants perished everywhere in France. To recall the risk of political violence. pic.twitter.com/CsoF7YfYhk
- Anne Hidalgo (@Anne_Hidalgo) September 16, 2022
“We must never lower our guard and always take seriously the risk of unleashing violence that lurks everywhere. This garden is the symbol of this call for vigilance. It says our desire to live our differences with respect, peace and consideration,” she continued.
"This massacre explains why Protestants in France have always been viscerally on the side of the victims and the most vulnerable," said Ms. Hidalgo. The director of communication of the National Council of Evangelicals of France, Romain Choisnet, recalls for his part that the main reason why "Protestants are on the side of the victims" is "rather from the Gospels, from the example of Jesus and of his love for all”.
(NB: The main reason comes rather from the gospels, from the example of Jesus and his love for all...)
- Romain CHOISNET (@comcnef) September 16, 2022
Public chat Twitter, the mayor of the capital was delighted that "this municipal ceremony is the occasion for a moving and fraternal exchange between the president of the conference of bishops of France and the president of the Protestant federation of France, in the presence of representatives of the Muslim and Jewish religions.
Camille Westphal Perrier
