Series of alleged cases of demonic possession occurring in Aix-en-Provence, 1611
This case set a legal precedent for convicting a priest of demonic possession by pact with the devil, influencing later witchcraft trials in France.
Key Facts
- Year of events
- 1611
- Accused priest
- Father Louis Gaufridi
- Method of execution
- Strangulation, body then burned
- Torture applied
- Strappado, bones dislocated
- Later precedent case
- Urbain Grandier at Loudun, 20+ years later
- Affected institution
- Ursuline nuns of Aix-en-Provence
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
In 1611, Ursuline nuns in Aix-en-Provence claimed to be demonically possessed. Father Louis Gaufridi, a local priest, was accused of causing the possessions through a pact with the devil, which under contemporary theological and legal frameworks could be treated as a criminal offense warranting prosecution.
Gaufridi was subjected to torture by strappado, during which his bones were dislocated, in order to extract a confession. He was convicted of causing demonic possession through a diabolical pact and was executed in April 1611 by strangulation, after which his body was burned, marking one of the first such clerical executions in France.
The case established a legal precedent that was later applied in the conviction and execution of Urbain Grandier at Loudun more than twenty years later. It also triggered a spread of reported possessions to other convents and resulted in at least one witch burning in 1611, amplifying the climate of fear surrounding witchcraft in the region.