Vernoux-en-Vivarais

Vernoux -en- Vivarais is a commune with 1873 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2011 ) in Ardèche, in the Rhône -Alpes.

Geography

The municipality is located in the eastern Massif Central, in the skin Vivarais, on the plateau of Vernoux.

History: the massacre of Vernoux

In 1745 was previously arrested in Le Chambon Huguenot preacher Matthias Desubas, which has now been brought under strict guard to Montpellier, be detained overnight in the former Vernoux.

At the gates of the town, a large unarmed crowd of men, women and children had gathered and demanded Desubas ' release. They expressed their sadness, but also anger from. Some of the inhabitants of Vernoux who were inclined towards the Roman Catholic side, felt the need to stand by the oppressed in this way soldiers and shot out of their windows at the crowd. 30 people died and 200 to 300 were wounded. These events should be known as the Massacre of Vernoux. Some of the pastors of the desert, as the head of the Protestant underground church were called, condemned the attempted revolt of the Protestants; particular Desubas even tried to calm the angry crowd. He was as planned detained overnight in the local jail.

The next morning brought together an even greater amount of evangelical Christians, this time armed. But succeeded Desubas out of the prison to spread a message in the crowd: "I beg you earnestly to, gentlemen, you withdraw. It has already shed too much blood. I am quite well and I give myself entirely to the will of God. " His application was accepted and the amount dissolved.

Desubas was executed the following year. He is regarded as a Protestant martyr.