Paul Rabaut
Encyclopedia
Paul Rabaut was a French
pastor of the Huguenot
"Church of the Desert".
He was born at Bédarieux
, Hérault
. In 1738 he was admitted as a preacher by the synod
of Languedoc
, and in 1740 he went to Lausanne
to complete his studies in the seminary founded by Antoine Court
. In 1741 Rabaut was placed at the head of the church of Nîmes
, and in 1744 he was vice-president of the general synod. During the persecution of 1745-1752, he was forced into hiding. When the marquis of Paulmy d'Argenson was sent to Languedoc to make a military inspection, Rabaut succeeded in interviewing him (1750).
For a time the persecution ceased, but it broke out again in 1753, and a price was put on Rabaut's head. Louis François de Bourbon, prince de Conti, interested himself in the Protestants in 1755, and in July Rabaut visited him. During the years 1755-1760 periods of persecution and toleration alternated. By 1760, however, the efforts of Antoine Court and Paul Rabaut had been so successful that French Protestantism
was well established and organized. Court de Gébelin, Rabaut himself, and his son Jean-Paul Rabaut Saint-Etienne
now exerted themselves to get it recognized by the law and government. When the people revolted, the minister Turgot
in 1775 requested Rabaut to calm them.
His success aroused the jealousy of his colleagues, who tried to undo the good work started by Antoine Court. Rabaut persevered in his efforts to improve the legal position of the Protestants. In 1785, when he was visited by the Marquis de la Fayette, it was arranged that Rabaut's son, Rabaut Saint-Etienne, should go to Paris on behalf of the Reformed Church.
In November 1787 King Louis XVI
's edict of toleration was signed, though it was not registered until January 29, 1788. Two years later liberty of conscience was proclaimed by the National Assembly, of which Rabaut Saint-Etienne was vice-president, and it was declared that non-Catholics might be admitted to all positions. After the fall of the Girondist
s, however, in which Rabaut Saint-Etienne was involved, Paul Rabaut, who had refused to renounce his title of pastor, was arrested, dragged to the citadel of Nîmes, and kept in prison seven weeks (1794). He died at Nîmes, soon after his release.
See J Pons do Nîmes, Notice biographique sur Paul Rabaut (1808); Charles Dardier, Paul Rabaut, ses lettres à Antoine Court (1884) and Paul Rabaut, ses lettres à divers (1891).
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
pastor of the Huguenot
Huguenot
The Huguenots were members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France during the 16th and 17th centuries. Since the 17th century, people who formerly would have been called Huguenots have instead simply been called French Protestants, a title suggested by their German co-religionists, the...
"Church of the Desert".
He was born at Bédarieux
Bédarieux
Bédarieux, is a commune in the Hérault department in the region of Languedoc-Roussillon in southern France.The inhabitants are called Bédariciens.-Geography:Bédarieux is west of Montpellier and north of Béziers...
, Hérault
Hérault
Hérault is a department in the south of France named after the Hérault river.-History:Hérault is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790...
. In 1738 he was admitted as a preacher by the synod
Synod
A synod historically is a council of a church, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. In modern usage, the word often refers to the governing body of a particular church, whether its members are meeting or not...
of Languedoc
Languedoc
Languedoc is a former province of France, now continued in the modern-day régions of Languedoc-Roussillon and Midi-Pyrénées in the south of France, and whose capital city was Toulouse, now in Midi-Pyrénées. It had an area of approximately 42,700 km² .-Geographical Extent:The traditional...
, and in 1740 he went to Lausanne
Lausanne
Lausanne is a city in Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland, and is the capital of the canton of Vaud. The seat of the district of Lausanne, the city is situated on the shores of Lake Geneva . It faces the French town of Évian-les-Bains, with the Jura mountains to its north-west...
to complete his studies in the seminary founded by Antoine Court
Antoine Court (Huguenot)
Antoine Court was a French reformer called the "Restorer of Protestantism in France." He was born at Villeneuve-de-Berg, in Languedoc, March 27, 1696. His parents were peasants, adherents of the Reformed church, which was then undergoing persecution...
. In 1741 Rabaut was placed at the head of the church of Nîmes
Nîmes
Nîmes is the capital of the Gard department in the Languedoc-Roussillon region in southern France. Nîmes has a rich history, dating back to the Roman Empire, and is a popular tourist destination.-History:...
, and in 1744 he was vice-president of the general synod. During the persecution of 1745-1752, he was forced into hiding. When the marquis of Paulmy d'Argenson was sent to Languedoc to make a military inspection, Rabaut succeeded in interviewing him (1750).
For a time the persecution ceased, but it broke out again in 1753, and a price was put on Rabaut's head. Louis François de Bourbon, prince de Conti, interested himself in the Protestants in 1755, and in July Rabaut visited him. During the years 1755-1760 periods of persecution and toleration alternated. By 1760, however, the efforts of Antoine Court and Paul Rabaut had been so successful that French Protestantism
Protestantism
Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...
was well established and organized. Court de Gébelin, Rabaut himself, and his son Jean-Paul Rabaut Saint-Etienne
Jean-Paul Rabaut Saint-Etienne
Jean-Paul Rabaut Saint-Étienne was a French revolutionary.-Biography:Rabaut de Saint-Étienne was born at Nîmes, Gard, the son of Paul Rabaut, the additional surname of Saint-Étienne taken from a small property near Nîmes....
now exerted themselves to get it recognized by the law and government. When the people revolted, the minister Turgot
Anne Robert Jacques Turgot, Baron de Laune
Anne-Robert-Jacques Turgot, Baron de Laune , often referred to as Turgot, was a French economist and statesman. Turgot was a student of Francois Quesnay and as such belonged to the Physiocratic school of economic thought...
in 1775 requested Rabaut to calm them.
His success aroused the jealousy of his colleagues, who tried to undo the good work started by Antoine Court. Rabaut persevered in his efforts to improve the legal position of the Protestants. In 1785, when he was visited by the Marquis de la Fayette, it was arranged that Rabaut's son, Rabaut Saint-Etienne, should go to Paris on behalf of the Reformed Church.
In November 1787 King Louis XVI
Louis XVI of France
Louis XVI was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre until 1791, and then as King of the French from 1791 to 1792, before being executed in 1793....
's edict of toleration was signed, though it was not registered until January 29, 1788. Two years later liberty of conscience was proclaimed by the National Assembly, of which Rabaut Saint-Etienne was vice-president, and it was declared that non-Catholics might be admitted to all positions. After the fall of the Girondist
Girondist
The Girondists were a political faction in France within the Legislative Assembly and the National Convention during the French Revolution...
s, however, in which Rabaut Saint-Etienne was involved, Paul Rabaut, who had refused to renounce his title of pastor, was arrested, dragged to the citadel of Nîmes, and kept in prison seven weeks (1794). He died at Nîmes, soon after his release.
See J Pons do Nîmes, Notice biographique sur Paul Rabaut (1808); Charles Dardier, Paul Rabaut, ses lettres à Antoine Court (1884) and Paul Rabaut, ses lettres à divers (1891).