Conference: "Savoie, an immemorial land of sorcerers?
Friday 31 October 2025
from 18:00
Location : Salle L'Atelier
Presentation
The former Duchy of Savoy has been a hotbed of demonic witchcraft since the Middle Ages. By contiguity, tenacious representations make it the conservatory of superstitions from another age. But what is the truth?
The Duchy of Savoy (now Savoie and Haute-Savoie) was indeed an epicenter for the repression of witchcraft in the 1470s, but paradoxically it subsequently remained aloof from the great witch-hunt that inflamed almost all of Europe between 1540 and 1660, even though it was situated on the great European denominational divide between the Protestant and Catholic worlds, with the Chablais in the vanguard. However, a virulent anti-witchcraft discourse persisted, and witch trials were still held in the area in the 18th century, at a time when the repression of witchcraft had ceased elsewhere.
How to explain these paradoxes, and what is the nature of Savoyard witchcraft, of which the possessed women of Morzine (1857-1873) are said to be the latest avatar, is the subject of this conference.
A retired associate professor with a doctorate in modern history and a member of the LLSETI laboratory at Savoie Mont Blanc University in Chambéry, I tackled the question of witchcraft in a thesis written under the supervision of Robert Muchembled (Paris 13). The result was a book published by Presses Universitaires de Renne in 2012 under the title: "Crime et justice en Savoie (1559-1750). L'élaboration du pacte social", now available online.
In recent years, I have continued my research, focusing on the revolutionary period (1792-1799), with a view to writing a book provisionally entitled "Ordre révolutionnaire et vies ordinaires au pays du Mont-Blanc (1792-1799)".
How to explain these paradoxes, and what is the nature of Savoyard witchcraft, of which the possessed women of Morzine (1857-1873) are said to be the latest avatar, is the subject of this conference.
A retired associate professor with a doctorate in modern history and a member of the LLSETI laboratory at Savoie Mont Blanc University in Chambéry, I tackled the question of witchcraft in a thesis written under the supervision of Robert Muchembled (Paris 13). The result was a book published by Presses Universitaires de Renne in 2012 under the title: "Crime et justice en Savoie (1559-1750). L'élaboration du pacte social", now available online.
In recent years, I have continued my research, focusing on the revolutionary period (1792-1799), with a view to writing a book provisionally entitled "Ordre révolutionnaire et vies ordinaires au pays du Mont-Blanc (1792-1799)".
OpeningsFriday 31 October 2025 from 6 pm.
Event details
- Cultural and artistic :
- Conference
- Art and culture :
- Historic
- Art and culture
Tarifs
| Fares | Min | Max |
|---|---|---|
| Free | ||
Free of charge. Hats off to the exit.
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Event Organizer
Conférence : « La Savoie, immémoriale terre de sorciers ? »
Phone : +33 4 50 81 60 54
Location
Salle L'Atelier
Place de l'Abbatiale
74360
Abondance
- Spoken language(s) :
Location
Access from abbey square.
- Environments :
- Village centre
- Resort centre
- Village < 2 km away
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