A-Z Blog Hop: Jeanne Des Anges

There have been many different cases of demonic possession recorded in history. The Catholic Church itself has not been immune to such incidents. One of the most famous fraudulent cases was the Loudun Possessions that took place in an Ursuline Convent in Poitiers, France. It all started with a woman called Jeanne.

Now, this is no movie heroine; she wasn’t beautiful or kind at all. She was born in 1602 and suffered from tuberculosis as a child and this stunted her growth and left her with a hunchback.  Because of this she developed a rather nasty attitude where she mocked others and considered everyone to be her enemy. Even her parents couldn’t stand her and tried to ship off to her aunt who was a prioress at a nearby abbey. She was sent home after three years. So, when she was old enough she was sent to the Ursuline convent where the nuns tolerated her because of her family’s wealth.

When she found that the prioress was retiring, she made herself indispensable and used ingratiating behavior to gain favor. It worked as she became mother superior at the age of 25. Around this time, Jeanne developed a sexual obsession with a priest named Father Urbain Grandier.  She offered him a position as Ursuline’s director but her refused, saying her was not worthy and was too busy with parish duties. Jeanne took this as a grave insult and allied herself with growing enemies of Grandier.

So, how does this story evolve into possession? Well, as usual rumors were spread of nightly visits of incubi that resembled the priest. Soon a plot was conceived in which Grandier was accused of bewitching the nuns. They even went as far as to call in exorcists. Word began to spread even farther that the nuns were plagues by demons and the demons blamed Father Grandier.  This escalated into public exorcisms in which the nuns, Jeanne in particular convulsed on the floor and growled.  In her autobiography, Jeanne wrote she didn’t believe she was plagued by demons because she’d made no pact, but later wrote that she’s had a disturbance of the mind during that time. She began to believe her own hype.

Cathedral of Bayeux (France, Normandy), exorcism by Saint Exupère (painting by Rupalley) picture by Philippe Alès

So, during one of the exorcisms in which two magistrates attended, two “demons” confirmed she had made a pact and blamed it on poor Father Grandier, whose only crime was that he was sexy. Despite the very little evidence, Grandier was found guilty of consorting with demons and was executed.

After the execution the show continued.  Jeanne even developed a false pregnancy that was supposedly brought about by one of the demons inside here (there were many).  The new exorcist, Father Surin dedicated his attention to trying to rid Jeanne of her devils, if not through exorcism then he would elevate her soul. For a long time, she dislike Father Surin but had a turnabout, stating that she wanted to become a saint. This thing continued for years, with so-called miracles coming to pass and more exorcisms. By the time she died, Jeanne was escalated to sainthood.

Do you believe exorcisms are real?

Do you like stories about angels, demons, and the supernatural? Pick up a copy of "A Prescription for Delirium" available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords.

Expelling the Spirit: Exorcism Around the World

When people think exorcism, they think Catholicism. A vision of the Exorcist, with the priest with his bible and robes comes to mind. However, this was not the only religion that practiced exorcism.

In Hinduism, the Artharva Veda, one of the four holy books, is said to contain the secrets of magic and alchemy, including exorcism practices. Basic exorcism includes a mantra (a chant capable of creating transformation) accompanied by the yajna (a ritual of offerings).

Quran- Photo by ~crystalina~

In Islam, the exorcism is called the ruqya and is used to repair damage done by shir, or black magic. This consists of the afflicted person laying down while a sheikh, or elder, places his hand over the afflicted forehead and chants specific verses from the Quran. The afflicted may also drink holy water.

In Judaism the exorcism is performed by a rabbi (priest) who has mastered the art of the Kabbalah. A minyan, a group of ten adults, gather around the possessed and recited Psalms 91 three times while the rabbi blows a ram’s horn. The horn is blown with certain notes to shatter the hold the possessing entity has on the body. Once it’s shattered the rabbi asked the entity why it’s possessing the person and the minyan pray and make the entity feel ready to move on.

So, back to Catholicism, what is their deal? Well, early in Christianity it was believed that anyone could perform an exorcism because the power was derived from Christ. He stated “And these signs will accompany those who believe: by using my name they will cast out demons.” (Mark 16:17). It started as laying hands on the possessed person, and invocation of Jesus’s name, and the signing of the cross. Then the church created an office for handling the matter in the 3rd century and added exsufflation, or blowing upon the possessed. It evolved into the Roman ritual and now an exorcist, appointed by the Church, is the only ones allowed to perform the ritual. This priest recited passage from the Roman Ritual and entreats God to intervene on behalf of the possessed. It is different for each priest but it is imperative at some point that the priest commands the spirit to leave in the name of Jesus Christ.

It seems that even though their practices are different, most exorcisms require at the bare minimum a belief in a higher power. Most with their prayers, or mantra call upon that power to drive out possessing forces.


Be sure to catch more from Gabriella and her version of exorcism in "A Prescription for Delirium" available NOW on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords.