Contenu du sommaire : Prédications en ville

Protestant Preaching, a New Event in French-Speaking Cities (16th-17th Centuries)For Calvin, preaching is one of the two characteristics of the Church. As such, among the signs of the beginning of the Protestant Reformation, most chronicles mention preaching by laymen, firstly in private homes, but later mainly in public spaces. At the same time, clerics favourable to the new ideas preached in a new way in churches. There are numerous examples of this process in the cities of Germany, Switzerland and France. The case of Metz is particularly significant, from the first sermons preached around 1525 until Farel preached there in 1542. Everywhere, the challenge was to occupy public space – preferably churches – even though Protestant worship often had to be confined to private homes during the Wars of Religion wherever Protestants were in the minority. After this troubled period, preaching became institutionalised. ‘‘Going to a sermon'' came to symbolise worship. In towns in the 17th century, preaching occurred in specific places, at its own pace and with its own particular features. Several examples, including Metz, show the specific characteristics of this preaching, compared both to what was happening in villages and to Catholic practices. However, apart from specific cases such as Metz or Huguenot cities in southern France, preaching failed to take root in the heart of urban areas.

A ‘Revolution' in Catholic Preaching in Cities ? (Early 16th Century – Second Half of the 17th Century)During the Early Modern period (1500-1650), French cities fostered an in-depth renewal of Christian preaching, particularly Catholic. This is because these cities were the venue for major religious stakes throughout the 16th century, and because they harboured powers that sought to show their strength and assess that of their opponents. Built upon a strong Medieval heritage, considerably amplified by increased number of events in the liturgical year (cycles of Advent and Lent, as well as numerous Octaves), attempts were then made both to institutionalise and to control speaking occasions, to fill space and time with a flood of instructions aimed at serving the Catholic Reformation. This process required attracting new apostolic workers to the city, on a definitive or temporary basis ; other cities were often competing to draw these same apostolic workers. This movement certainly strengthened the position of mendicant regulars, thanks to the arrival of recent congregations, but it was also marked by a revival among other actors (notably, with bishops speaking) and the widespread reference to the theological virtues after 1550. In this evolution, in which clerics held a dominant place, the role played by cities was manifold and decisive (financing works, negotiated participation in recruiting ‘‘voices'', indirect help in training future preachers, social and civic recognition for orators). Moreover, by originating or contributing to sermons of an historical and commemorative character with a strong identity, the city powers-that-be showed their deep involvement in defending the Catholicism of the urban area and urban society.

Preachers in Paris, Rome and a Few Other Cities, from the Classical Age to the Enlightenment
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the development of the Counter-Reformation, related to a will to supervise and edify populations, led to preaching on a widespread basis in Catholic cities, chiefly Rome and Paris. In these urban areas that claimed to be religious capitals, preachers' speeches were not limited to Sunday sermons, but were particularly visible during the liturgical cycles of Lent and Advent, and during the Octaves of the Blessed Sacrament. In most cities, the majority of preachers were members of mendicant orders, as these orders had been consecrated to preaching since they were founded. However, in Rome and even more so in Paris (where the process of appointing orators gave rise to stiff competition among sanctuaries), there were many members of secular orders, simple abbots that were not responsible for men's souls. Demand for sermons was particularly strong in cities, resulting in the appearance of professional speakers, along with types of announcements and advertising spread through specialised flyers or newspapers. This form of religious life, unique to cities, was closely linked to the increased number of chairs in parishes, convents and monasteries.

Preaching While Hidden in the Crowds : the Religious Word of Minorities in European Cities (16th-18th Centuries)This article endeavours to analyse the uses of religious word in several religious minorities in cities in modern Europe, faced with powerful forces of repression : British Catholics following the establishment of the Church of England ; Moriscos and Crypto-Jews (or Marranos) during the Spanish Inquisition ; and New Catholics practising Protestantism secretly in France following the revocation of the Edict of Nantes. All these groups had to adapt their rituals to the requirements of secrecy in an area full of constraints, while creating unique social practices. Religious word, officially excluded from the public space, retreated into the bounds of home and family. However, sometimes it broke out and spread through the city, both in ‘no man's land' and in the most tightly controlled areas, following unique forms that reveal and create specific territories within the urban area.

Speaking of God After a Catastrophe: The Example of Catholic Preachers After the Fire at the Paris Charity Bazaar (4 May 1897)On 4 May 1897, a terrible fire ravaged the Paris Charity Bazaar. This catastrophe gave rise to several religious ceremonies, mostly Catholic. On 8 May, a funeral service was held at Notre Dame de Paris, attended by the President of the French Republic and several French and foreign dignitaries. The preacher, Reverend Father Ollivier (Order of the Dominicans), presented the tragedy as punishment for a ‘‘prideful century'' and more particularly for France, which had forgotten its purpose and traditions. His sermon created a scandal and triggered heated debate. Other preachers, especially Dominicans, spoke to their audiences of the tragedy of the Charity Bazaar, following requests from the Œuvre des Noviciats Dominicains or the Œuvre Saint-Michel. Apart from Reverend Father Boulanger, they all avoided political allusions and focused on a religious meditation on the meaning of suffering and sacrifice, as well as the redemption of humanity, which all the victims contributed to through their ‘‘martyrdom''. The image of God that does not intervene is one of a terrible God, who is also a God of love, as he punishes only to save. In May, Mary's month, we can only note the near total silence surrounding the name of Mary during these ceremonies, which mourned mainly women and young girls.

Sermons Given During the Inauguration of Cairo Mosques in 1964In this article published in 1969, Jacques Jomier, a Dominican friar and Islamologist, analyses, through the speeches of Muslim preachers, the religious and social role of mosques. Jomier's sources are quite unique : four sermons broadcast over the radio, during the inauguration of mosques in Cairo and Alexandria.Going beyond its stated objective, this article is also a source for the history of relations between political power and Islam in 1960s Egypt. This reveals the twofold process whereby Muslim scholars – particularly those of the Al-Azhar University – were subordinated, while the Nasser regime's socialist orientations were given Islamic legitimacy. Attentive to the rise of radio broadcasting of religious word and to the important figure of the preacher, Jacques Jomier also gives a look at the transformations under way in the religious culture of a rapidly-urbanising society, notably in the Cairo megalopolis.