The
Ranums'
Panat Times
Volume 1, redone Dec. 2014
Some documents about the Filles de l'Enfant Jésus and their experiences in the provinces during the eighteenth century
Note: the French vowel œ simply dropped out when this was published online: I have tried to correct all errors, chiefly in words such as soeur and oeuvre, but you may have to supply a few œ's yourself.
More than two decades ago, when I realized the importance of the
link between Mlle de Guise and the teachers of Father Nicolas Barré's
Enfant Jésus, I took rather copious notes about these teaching sisters
from documents preserved at the Archives nationales in Paris. I am
making them available to other scholars:
The source is AN, S7045 and also S 7048-50, and M 57, which focus on provincial establishments. All the records in these archival bundles concern the Filles de l'Enfant Jésus. I have used horizontal lines to group related documents:
AN, S7045: Abbrégé de l'histoire de l'Institution des Soeurs des Ecoles charitables par le R.P. Barré, minime de France. It was sent to Mme DeLenier, supérieure générale de la Communauté, rue Saint-Maure.
"Elle [the Institution] a commencé l'année 1666 [in margin: à Rouen], Mr l'Abbé Montignie Servien ayant de concert avec ledit Pere Barré fait commencé et subsister les dites Surs à Paris depuis 1677 jusqu'à sa mort.
La première école charitable fut etablie à Paris sur la Parroisse de St Jean en Greve, ensuite à St Eustache, à St Roch, à St Louis en l'Ille N.D, à St Laurent, etc.
Aujourd'huy leur principale maison est sur la parroisse de Saint Suplice à Paris, faubourg St Germain, rue Saint Maur, ou est le noviciat des dites Surs des Ecoles charitables d'où elles sont envoyées dans tout le Royaume pour l'Instruction des Pauvres filles ou femmes, surtout des nouvelles Converties. Leur apprendre à travailler pour gagner leur vies en quelque lieux les dites Surs ont soin des Pauvres où il n'y a personnes pour cela seignent les pauvres et les donnent les remedes et soulagement qu'elles peuvent.
En 1681 Mademoiselle de Guise considerant ses soins d'une manière distinguée plaça les dites surs dans les principaux lieux de son domaine.
Plusieurs seigneurs en demandèrent pour les leurs.
Par ordre du Roy on a envoyé à Bordeaux, à Toulouze, à Nimes, à Montpellier, en Guyenne dans le haut et bas Langudoc, Dans le Poitou etc., pour l'instruction des N.C. [nouvelles Converties].
Dans la suite Madame de Maintenon ayant dessein de former à la pieté chretienne deux cent cinquante demoiselles dans la Royalle Maison de Saint Cyr, elle y mit douze des dites maitresses qui ont demeuré jusqu'à que la maison, etc.
Pour les soeurs des Ecoles charitables envoyées à la Ville de Montpellier, ce fut l'année 1686.
Pour l'instruction des N.C. [Nouvelles converties]
Voicy la coppie de la lettre ecrite par Monsieur La Chateauneuf à M. de Montiginie Servien leur second superieur:"
[April 30, 1686: Chateauneuf says that Baville wants 12 more of the filles for the new converts; he already has 8; he will pay their travel costs. Montigny Servien replies that he will try to get 12 as fast as possible. He had 20 ready when the first 8 were sent, but the king was cautious. So he sent them into the provinces, because they had to keep busy; thus there are only 6 available, but he will prepare 6 more girls.]
[In Montpellier:] "Elles y font les classes à environ quatre cent filles externes gratuitement sans accepter de personnes. Elles ont des N.C. ou orphelines, à quoy on apprend à travailler à des ouvrages de coutures, Broderies etc., cela se nomme classe du Travail.
Elles ont quelques jeunes demoiselles du coté des Ecoles pour les former [i.e., they are pensionnaires] aussy à la pieté, aux ouvrages convenabales à leurs ages. C'est à quoy elles s'occupent depuis leur envoye par la Cour."
AN, S 7048-50, dossier 10: about the schools in what once was Mlle de Guise's domain of Eclaron:
Letter from Eclaron dated January 12, 1770, from Duplessis, curate of Eclaron, to "Madame," presumably the head of the Ecoles chretiennes in Paris. Duplessis wants to give her exact details about the school at Eclaron, "qui leur a été abandonnée par la Soeur Simon qui l'avoit acquise." So he sends a copy of the acte de cession, of which he has the original. The school has been moved to a wooden building in the courtyard and the jail was put into the solid building that formerly housed the school. All the sisters sleep together in a drafty kitchen, for there a no floors or window glass in the garret rooms.
Copy of the act: "Nous soussignées Soeur Marie Nicolle Simon, Regente des ecoliers [sic] du St. Enfant Jesus etablish à Eclaron de la part de son altesse Mademoiselle de Guise d'un part, et Soeur Louise Marie Briquelet, aussi regente du meme etablissement:" Simon cedes the "maison scise audit Eclaron lieudit La rue des Palis [?] consistante en un corps de logis composé de plusieurs chambres, cour, hallier, colombier, jardin, masage, et autres aysance et appartenance comme le tout se consiste et comporte, sous reserve tenant d'une part à la maison curialle dudit Eclaron, d'autre à Me Antoine de la Veufve d'un bout sur ladite rue ..." Sold for 800 livres to the Regente of the schools, no date.
Description of the girls' school at Eclaron in 1768
sent
to the Dames de St Maur, rue St Maur, pres les Incurables, March 22,
1768, the costs to repair the building:
"La maison des dames d'Esclaron consiste en un corps de logie patit en pierre de tailles par la famille Villedonné. On y a batit ensuite un autre Batiment à coté de celuy-là qui est entre la porte de la cour et la maison en pierre de taille. Ce batiment a été fait apres coup en bois et en ourdé de terre grace [grasse] melée avec de la paille suivant l'usage du pays. Consiste en trois pice [pièce] dont deux sellule [cellules] où couche[nt] les deux dames, et l'autre servent de cuisine donnant sur la rue. De cette cuisine on entre dans la grande salle du batiment qui est en pierre de taille. Dans laditte salle il y a une grande croissé [window] à l'antique qui donne sur la rue et c'est à cette partie près de la ditte croissé que le plancher est tout pourry de la pluie, tante d'avoir refait la couverture. Il y a une grande cheminée bien solide et fait à peu pres comme celle que l'on voit dans la salle de l'hotel de ville de Paris, et une escallier en bois pour monter au premier et au reste de la maison. De l'autre partie il y a une autre grande salle de meme grandeur avec pareille chemié [cheminée] et croissé donnant sur le jardin avec une porte de communication, et une autre porte qui donne dans un cabine qui est attenant du mur de la maison et le jardin. Il y a aussi des grandes cheminées aux autre chambre au premier.
L'on pourroit donc, pour eviter une grande depanse, partager les deux salle et y prendre à chacune une apartement pour les dames, et les deux classes seroent egallement separée d'une de l'autre et à chacune une cheminée. L'on pourroit aussy y pratique des entresols, le plancher est assais haut."
[This is followed by a discussion of how the upper part of the
building could be demolished, the scrap wood and the pierre de taille
reused or sold, etc. Changes were also proposed for modernizing the
entry, etc.]
There is also a paper about the hospital created by
Mlle de Guise's will. On November 4, 1730, more than 40 years after her
death, local officials and the representative of the Duke of Orléans
(who is the prince of Joinville and baron of Eclaron) meet and decide to
"y travailler à l'établissement que la piété de ce prince veut ériger
audit Eclaron, pour satisfaire aux charitables intentions de feue
Mademoiselle de Guise." They were also looking for 2 girls to teach. It
turned out that two fine ones were teaching at Ancerville (which had
also belonged to Mlle de Guise) and were ready to leave because they
were not being helped by the town. One of the teachers was 71 years old!
She had been in the region for 44 years (in other words, she apparently
was one of the teachers sent by Mlle de Guise, when the school was
created in 1686). The other teacher was 31 years old.
January 11, 1733, the curate of Eclaron, Pierre Paul Martinet, wills his house to the two regentes at Eclaron. It is adjacent to the school building.
AN, M 57, "Soeurs des Ecoles charitables, dites de l'Enfant Jésus"
The dossiers for the different schools include: Annonay, Arles, Blois, La Canourge, Châlons-sur-Marne, Chalons-sur-Saone, Saint-Dié, Granville, Grasse, Levignac, Macon, Mende, Montpellier, Nouvion, Orange, Saint-Ouen, Paris (Faubourg Saint-Antoine, Faubourg Saint-Laurent), Tonneins, Vence.
The Missions Etrangères were still supervising the establishment at Annonay in 1778. By then the Parisian headquarters of the Ecoles were on the rue Saint-Maur.
At Arles, there is a will for a "fondation" of a school that has already been open for some time ("depuis quelques années"). Three régentes cared for 30 girls, "que je prétends être nourries et entretenues et faute de travail à ce qui pourrait leur manquer pour les habiller." The girls should be 12 years old, and those who were "dans quelque danger" should be preferred. They should all come from "de bonne famille de bonne murs." It is hoped that any profits earned by the house will be used to "marier des filles de la maison avec l'agrément de Monseigneur l'Archevêque," Forbin de Janson.
The woman who wrote this will Marie de Gaille de l'Estoublon de Roquemartine -- had purchased a small house near her own house, to be used by the school. She gave both that house and her own residence to the school. The teachers are to teach religion and travail to all the poor girls of the city who want to attend; and "de faire aussi les Dimanches une instruciton au Pauvres qui voudront s'y trouver." She also gave money to support 7 widows, who are supposed to prepare food and purchase the supplies required for the 30 girls at the school and care for them when they are sick. In return for their stipend, the widows also must take bouillon to poor sick folk and see to the well being of the house. Each teacher would get 50 écus a year for living costs. The donor called her school "Les filles de la providence du cur de Marie."
There is another slip written in the same hand, but involving another woman, Anne d'Antonelle de Saint-Léger de Raillerie. She gives 20,000 livres in order to establish 4 régentes who will be established by the archibishop in a quarter of the city of Arles where as the frères des écoles chrétiennes have been doing for boys the girls will be taught Religion, virtue, "et leur apprendront à lire gratuitement." By this bequest, each girl will get 200 livres per year.
The date of another letter concerning this school is August 17, 1744, the same year the priest wrote Paris about this legacy for 4 régentes:
"J'ay besoin, Madame, d'une sur intelligente, zellé et d'un caractère imposant, pour rendre cet établissement agréable au public dans les commencements. L'on m'assure que la Sur Labec de la maison de Nimes reunit toutes ces qualités." She would like to work with Soeur de la Trinité: "L'union des surs est infiniment necessaire, surtout dans une maison naissante; et il nous en faut ici qui soient familiarisées avec les manières et le jargon du pais. Je me contenterai de ces deux surs pendant quelques années. La pension des deux autres servira à rembourser les avances qu'il a fallu et qu'il faudra faire, tant pour l'achat que pour l'ameublement de la maison. Comme les jeunes filles ici sont dissipées et peu instruites, une education chretienne et recueillie peut y produire des biens infinis."
Signed: J.B. Arch. d'Arles
Dossier 3: about La Canourgue
The costs in 1782 for bedding, towels, etc, for a new house of the Enfant Jésus at La Canourgue. It was created by royal order stating that the girls will learn to read, learn the principles of religion, and that the sisters "leur montreroient à filer la laine qui est le principal objet du travail de manufacture du pais."
The organization was done through Uzès and through the mother house
in Paris (which was supervised by the Missions Etrangères). At La
Canourgue, the goal was to "leur apprendre à travailler." The former
school teacher's pension was now suppressed (a contract dated June 18,
1752, was involved). Each of the 3 régentes must have a room to herself
and must be provided with: "un lit garnie honnettement, une armoire, 4
chaises, 1 table, rideaux aux fenêtres." Together, the three women would
be given fireplace andirons, shovel and pinchers, 10 pairs of sheets
that must be "honnettes et suffisantes", 8 tablecloths, 6 dozen towels,
the requisite cookware, plus [for the schoolroom?] 6 chairs, a table,
and the tables "nécessaires pour la classe." The last item on the list
was "un tonneau pour loger envion une charge vin." On the school
property, the sisters must keep a garden and a bassecourt (that is,
poultry or rabbits), both enclosed with a wall.
Dossier 5: about a
school at Saint-Claude, 1750. Many details are similar to those at La
Canourgue, but specific furnishings are not described. The teachers will
work for two hours in the morning and two and one-half hours in the
afternoon. Each gets six weeks of vacation. They must escort the girls
to catechism and remain their until it is finished. No boys will be
admitted. Each girl must carry wood every evening, from November to
Easter, for heating in common. The school was established by a lady who
was still alive.
Dossier 6: Chalons-sur-Saone. A document written by the nuns, who summarized the history of their school: It was established there in 1684 by Monseigneur Henry Felicy (?), prelate of that city. Sur De Lisle was accepted there in 1680 and lived there alone with "la Fondatrice" for some time. A few years later, a second sister was called, and by 1688, a third sister was proposed/being negotiated for. The city offered 300 livres to pay her expenses, but nothing was ever done to actually get this third sister.
In 1691, Mme de Laval willed property to the Minims of Chalon, who had been supervising the school since 1680. (Barré, the founder of the Institution, was a Minim.) She also gave 250 livres per year in perpetuity to the Surs de l'Ecole du Saint Enfant Jésus. Although this was enough to get by (according to living costs of the 1680's and 1690's), Mme la Conseillière Mucie supplied the teachers with wood, wine, and so forth. In 1693 she gave the school 150 livres per year. Herson, President de Musie, paid this regularly and gave other help. Their daughter, Mme de la Marche, continued to do the same. In 1732 the city delayed paying rent, etc; in 1756 the sisters requested that work be done on the house and an additional room added. Ever since Mucie's death, the nuns have paid their own living costs, which total more than 2,000 livres. "La nourriture d'un domestique et ses gages, cela coute plus qu'une sur. Nous contons [comptons] que cette dépense se trouve sur les pensionnaires." (In other words, some of the students were boarders.)
Indeed, the teachers took in boarders to make ends meet, but the bedrooms are crowded and stuffy and the sisters' health is suffering, since the cold winter weather means that the children cough all night, and the sisters can't sleep because they must tend to the children. Recently one sister was so exhausted, at age 52, that she had to return to the mother house in Paris. The two other sisters, ages 42 and 38, are also ill. In addition, the house is in terrible repair.
Copy of the will of Anne de Clugny, widow of Jean de Laval, the founder, who helped create schools run by Minims, July 30, 1691. The Minims are to choose "des filles justes, sages, pieuses, et capables de faire lesdites Ecoles et instructions aux pauvres filles ..."
Dossier 8, the school at Saint-Dié, 1736. Mademoiselle La Vieuville of Paris has provided money. This is similar to most foundations: that is, the town supplies equipment, furnishings, and a house and a pension for each sister permits her to pay the costs of food, heat, and laundry.
Dossier 11: Lavignac near Toulouse, in 1776. The school was founded by a Loménie de Brienne, and the teaching order is called the "Enfant Jésus." This school was a pensionnat run by 10 nuns, each getting 250 livres per year. There were 50 girls, who paid 360 livres a year, which covers food, clothing, medical care. A few girls had scholarships: they were chosen by the Briennes. The sisters also taught externes, non-boarders, free of cost, or at most the boarders paid a monthly sum determined by the Briennes. Income from paying students would go to a pension for an additional sister.
Dossier 14, Montpellier, post-1740. There the school was called the "Maison
des Ecoles chretiennes du Saint Enfant Jésus et du Travail." It seems to
be a merger of the "pauvres filles de N.D. du Travail (a hospital) and
the Enfant Jésus sisters. The Enfant Jésus came to Montpellier
post-1715, by order of Baville de Lamoignon, intendant. The Filles du
Travail were sponsored by Mme d'Amboise, pre-1716. The Travail rented
the downstairs of their building to the school.
Dossier 15, Nouvion,
A letter dated October 16, 1776, in which the sister there sends laments
the Superior in Paris. The house is too small, the 2 classrooms are
tiny. Now Condé (the Condés had inherited Nouvion from Mlle de Guise)
wants to lodge a young man in one of the classrooms. The sisters have
been forbidden to take in boarders, which is impossible to do anyway
because they don't have enough room for themselves. In addition, the
parish does not really want them.
"J'ai informé nos soeurs de Guise
de tout ce qui se passoit," wrote Soeur Lalain.
October 9, 1776: the curate of Richemont, collège de Marle,
describes the teachers' tiny house "into which they have just moved": 2
classrooms, a bedroom, a tiny kitchen and a tiny cabinet [small room
into which one can withdraw] in a grenier too small for a
bedstead. Re Condé and the young man he is imposing on the women: the
women can like it or can leave, implies Condé.
October 30, 1776,
from the same: The Guises created these schools: "... la pension des
surs de Nouvion, peut etre, selon la fondation que l'on trouvera chez
nos soeurs de Guise, transferée dans un autre endroit, pourvu toutesfois
que ce soit dans des terres de Madame [read: Mademoiselle] de Guise."
Dossier 17: Saint-Ouen: in 1701 Joachim de Seglier founded a
school for one teacher. There are a few details similar to other
documents: house and utensils are supplied; the women teach girls; and
their wages are paid by a fondation.
Faubourg Saint-Antoine, Paris: 1726, refers to a bequest of 1710 that included 200 livres for the teacher and 35 livres for books and paper for the children. By 1726 the 200 livres was inadequate, so the 35 livres were added to the teacher's pension.
Dossier 19: Paris: Copy of a document dated March 25, 1680, a merchant's widow creates a school in parish of Saint-Laurent for the poor girls of the parish. She lived in the Marais, and she was joined by other merchants of that quarter, all members of the fabrique (vestry) of Saint-Laurent. She would teach religion, reading and writing. On that date there already was a school near the Porte Saint-Martin run by one fille, but three are really needed because of the large number of poor girls in the parish. So Mme X. went to the marguilliers of the church with a proposal that some of her rentes go to the school costs: 300 livres per year for two filles to teach, "qui se joindront à celles déjà établies." The teachers would be selected by the curate of Saint-Laurent from the "communauté des filles tenant escolles de charité" in the parish of Saint-Jean-en-Greve (Mlle de Guise's parish). None of the priests of the parish can present themselves in the female teachers' stead to teach reading, writing or catechism to these girls.
Document dated March 15, 1694, names the people who founded the school: Catherine Michel, widow of Jacques Reverend, bourgeois of the rue des Barres, parish of Saint-Germain, Louis Thevost, marchand de chevaux, rue Saint-Martin; Jacques Le Brun, boulanger à la Courtille; Nicolas Lavice, marchand de chevauls, rue Saint-Martin; Thomas Mercier, boulanger, faubourg Saint-Martin, all marguilliers.
A remark to the effect that the Institut was run by the R.P. Barré,
Minime, in the parish of Saint-Jean-en-Grève, "et le pourroit être
ailleurs quoyque par ledit contract de fondation il ne soit point dit
que lesdites filles tenant escolle sur la paroisse St Jean et à present
sur celle de St. Germain fussent de l'Institut du R.P. Barré, ce qui a
esté obmis d'estre expliqué audit contrat de fondation."
Note: There
is a document about women teachers in the BnF, ms. fr. 4195 (fols.
186ff), dated August 1660, re the creation of the "Filles de la Sainte
Vierge." Barré's fondation would have been quite similar. In fact, it
caught my attention because Saint Sulpice was Mme de Guise's parish and
fifteen years later she would interview Barré about teacher-training
schools:
Permission pour establier une communauté de filles et de femmes
veufves au faubourg de St Germain de Paris
"Louis par la grace
de Dieu Roy de France et de Navarre, à tous presens et à venir, salut,
Ayants esté informez qu'un bon nombre de filles et de femmes veufves ont
projetté depuis quelque temps de former entre elles un corps de
communauté et societé, pour vacquer au service divin et à l'edification
du prochain soubz le tiltre et protection de la Sainte Vierge Marie, en
habit seculier et modeste, et où les personnes seulement de ce sexte
[sic] qui ne peuvent avoir entrée dans les Religions peuvent se retirer
pour y faire les exercises spirituelles et se consacrer aux oeuvres de
pieté et de charité dont elles sont capables, mesme qu'elles ont desja
donné commencement à ce dessein par l'acquisition d'une Maison et place
proche de la paroisse de St Sulpice au fauxbourg St Germain de notre
bonne ville de Paris où elles desirent maintenant de s'establir, nous
suppliantez tres humblement d'agréer et confirmer leur entreprise par
nos lettres sur ce necessaires, et de leur permettre de s'y establir, et
partout ailleurs où elles seront appellées du consentement des
ordonnances des lieux, Sçavoir, faisons que desirantz contribuer autant
qu'il se pourra à un si pieux et louable dessein, nous avons à la
recommendation de la Reyne nostre tres honorée dame et mere, et de notre
grace specialle, pleine puissance et auctorité royalle accordé et
octroyé, permettons, octroyons et accordons par ces presentes signées de
nostre main, l'establissement de cette communauté et societé de filles
de femmes veufves [...] qu'elles puissent y faire bastir et construire
et ediffier des chapelles pour y faire celebrer la Ste Messe; ensemble
les logementz necessaires pour leur commodité, pendre et accepter tous
dons qui leur seront faictz pour la reparation de leurs logementz et
dotation de leur communauté, acquerir terres, posseder et occuper tous
droictz, heritages, rentes, et pentions qui leur seront faictz, Et que
la susdite Maison et place audit faubourg qu'elles ont desja acquise
leur sera admorti, comme nous l'amortissons par cesdites presentes, sans
pour ce nous payez aucune finance ny indemnités, dont et à quelque somme
qu'elle pust monter. Nous leur avons fait don sans prejudice toutesfois
des droits des seigneurs particuliers, sy aucuns y a, pour jouir par
ladite communauté [...] pleinement, paisiblement, et perpetuellement
comme aussy de recevoir parmy elles celles de leur sexte [sex] qui
voudront s'y agreer, pour vivre toutes ensemble suivant les reigles,
statutz et constitutions qui seront approuvés par les ordonnances des
lieux où lesdites maisons et communautez seront establies ..."