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Archives Des Consistoires Tt/230 À 276/B ARCHIVES DES CONSISTOIRES TT/230 à 276/B Inventaire par Édith Thomas et Paul Geisendorf Revu par Brigitte Schmauch Édition 2013 INTRODUCTION Dates : [1317, 1446] 1520-1740. Importance matérielle : 52 articles (environ 20 ml), cotés TT/230 à 276/B. Modalités d’entrée : Prise en charge à la Révolution, avec les archives du secrétariat d’État de la Maison du roi au sein duquel les affaires des protestants – appelés « religionnaires » c'est à dire adeptes de la « religion prétendue réformée » selon l’expression alors utilisée et abrégée en « R. P. R. » – devinrent un bureau en 1749. Conditions d’accès : Consultation sous forme de microfilms. Historique du producteur. La majorité des archives conservées sous ces cotes nous sont parvenues par l’intermédiaire de l’administration royale mais proviennent des églises réformées de France, d’où le nom d’« archives des consistoires » sous lequel on les désigne couramment. L’histoire de ces églises sous l’Ancien Régime s’articule principalement autour de trois dates : 1598 (édit de Nantes), 1685 (révocation de l’édit de Nantes par l’édit de Fontainebleau), 1787 (édit de tolérance). À une période d’expansion informelle de la réforme en France au cours de la première moitié du XVIe s. succède une phase d’institutionnalisation, fondée sur la Discipline votée par le synode de Paris en 1559 et marquée par la mise en place d’églises régulièrement constituées qui se fédèrent sous l’égide de Calvin (organisation dite « synodo-presbytérale »). L’édit de Nantes, promulgué par Henri IV en 1598 pour établir une paix durable entre catholiques et protestants, contingente par ailleurs assez strictement les lieux d’exercice du culte. Chaque église ou communauté était dirigée par un consistoire, composé d’un ou plusieurs pasteurs, des anciens ou surveillants et des diacres chargés d’assister le pasteur et de collecter et distribuer les aumônes. Le consistoire exerçait une surveillance étroite sur la communauté, veillant à maintenir les bonnes mœurs et à éviter tout scandale ou écart de conduite. Plusieurs consistoires voisins se réunissaient en principe deux fois par an (puis une fois à partir de 1657) en colloque pour l’examen de questions pratiques concernant finances ou discipline. Chaque église députait par ailleurs directement le pasteur et un laïc au synode provincial annuel (qui se tenait en même temps et au même endroit que les colloques de la province) auquel incombaient des tâches plus importantes – recrutement des pasteurs, arbitrage des conflits entre personnes ou communautés, questions doctrinales et disciplinaires, etc. – et qui jouait le rôle de courroie de transmission entre synode national et églises locales. Les synodes provinciaux envoyaient sur convocation des ministres et laïcs éminents à titre de délégués au 2 synode national, assemblée aux compétences multiples, tenue en présence d’un commissaire du roi, qui se réunit vingt-neuf fois entre 1559 et 1659. Les réformés se donnèrent par ailleurs, à partir des guerres de Religion, un système d’assemblées politiques provinciales – qui se réunirent surtout dans le Midi – coiffées d’une assemblée générale composée de pasteurs, nobles et robins ou notables qui envoyait deux députés généraux à la Cour porteurs d’un cahier de doléances. Ces assemblées subsistèrent jusqu’à la paix d’Alès en 1629, qui marqua la fin des privilèges politiques accordés aux protestants par l’édit de Nantes. De la révocation de l’édit de Nantes par l’édit de Fontainebleau en octobre 1685 à l’édit de tolérance promulgué en novembre 1787, les protestants n’ont plus aucune existence légale en France, ce qui se traduit notamment par la disparition de leur état civil à l’exception des registres mortuaires qui furent dans la réalité très peu tenus. Certains partent à l’étranger vers les pays du “ Refuge ” (ou “ second Refuge ”, le premier ayant été constitué lors des persécutions du XVIe s.), d’autres se convertissent, individuellement ou en groupe. Une partie tente de vivre sa foi clandestinement : c’est le temps de l’église du Désert, des prédicants et des pasteurs itinérants tandis que la politique de persécution menée par le pouvoir royal persiste, quoique atténuée et entrecoupée de phases de répit, jusqu'à la veille de la Révolution. Présentation du contenu. Les archives dites des consistoires, peuvent en fait avoir plusieurs origines : – Avant la révocation de l’édit de Nantes, –à partir de 1661 environ –, dans le cadre d’une application stricte de l’édit, notamment à l’occasion des procédures intentées contre eux par le clergé, les protestants, souhaitant prouver l’ancienneté de leurs églises et prévenir l’interdiction de l’exercice du culte ou la démolition de leurs temples, fournirent à l’examen des commissions mi-parties (un commissaire catholique et un protestant) préposées à la connaissance des infractions à l’édit de Nantes, en original ou sous forme d’extraits et copies collationnées, leurs documents les plus anciens qui, souvent, ne leur furent pas rendus. Ces procédures, aboutissant à des partages d’avis entre les commissaires, qui devaient être « vidés » soit tranchés ultérieurement par arrêt du Conseil du roi, et surtout les pièces déposées en ces occasions1 constituent la majeure partie du fonds. Ces archives, auxquelles on peut associer celles des temples confisquées en 1685, sont précieuses pour la connaissance de la vie des églises et des protestants avant la révocation de l’édit de Nantes. Elles comprennent des documents très variés : registres originaux de consistoires ainsi que de baptêmes, mariages et, plus rarement, décès ou sépultures, des années 1560 aux années 1670 ; titres et documents concernant prêches et temples (y compris bancs et cloches), cimetières ; documents relatifs à l’entretien des ministres ou des pauvres, à la discipline interne, à l’exercice du culte dans les temples ou les châteaux de seigneurs hauts- justiciers, aux conflits avec les catholiques, à la place des protestants dans les charges publiques ou les maîtrises d'arts et métiers ; actes et documents relatifs aux assemblées générales ou assemblées politiques ; actes de colloques et synodes provinciaux et nationaux accompagnés souvent des procès-verbaux des commissaires du roi présents à ces manifestations ; informations par les commissions mi-parties (nombreux partages d’avis), etc. 1 Dépôt dans des sacs comme il était coutume sous l’Ancien régime, dont il ne reste plus trace (cf. TT/244/14). Des mentions des décisions finales, prises par arrêts du Conseil du Roi, sont souvent portées au dos des avis des commissaires. 3 – Produits parfois avant la révocation de l’édit de Nantes et surtout postérieurement à celle-ci, figurent d’assez nombreux documents provenant surtout d’éléments extérieurs aux protestants (magistrats, intendants, membres du clergé, etc.) témoignant le plus souvent de la politique de répression croissante menée à l’encontre des « religionnaires » ou gens de la R. P. R., devenus après la révocation des « nouveaux convertis » suspectés de conversion non sincère, qualifiés souvent de relaps ou d’« opiniâtres ». Ils concernent par exemple : les conversions et abjurations ; les nouveaux convertis (listes « d’obstinés ou opiniâtres », de détenus dans des prisons ou couvents), l'éducation de leurs enfants, l'attribution de pensions en cas d'internement dans les communautés de Nouveaux ou Nouvelles Catholiques ; l’émigration protestante (listes de prisonniers, d’expulsés, d’évadés) ; les biens des fugitifs, des consistoires et des ministres, mis en régie, affermés ou encore, c’est le cas des biens des consistoires, affectés aux hôpitaux ; les assemblées clandestines (notamment dénonciations, informations et condamnations) ; des démolitions de temples et des constructions d’églises ; la suppression des établissements d’enseignement comme l’académie de Saumur ; la guerre des Cévennes avec son cortège de violences, etc. Des correspondances, mémoires et informations accompagnent et éclairent l'arsenal des mesures utilisées. Tous les documents de ce fonds étant antérieurs à 1750, on n’y trouve évidemment aucune allusion à l’édit de tolérance de 1787 et à son application. Les archives dites des consistoires présentent plutôt, comme intérêt majeur, d’offrir, en raison des rigueurs royales, la plus riche collection de manuscrits originaux des églises protestantes françaises des XVIe et XVIIe siècles, et de permettre par ailleurs de suivre, individuellement ou collectivement, les destinées de milliers de réformés, ministres et gens de toutes conditions, en France ou sur les chemins de l’exil jusqu’au milieu du XVIIIe siècle. Mode de classement Les archives des consistoires ont été enliassées dès l’Ancien Régime par l’administration royale. Des chemises de papier ont même été souvent fixées directement sur les antiques registres de baptême ou consistoire, collées avec des points de cire ou cousues avec des petits liens de parchemin (quelques dossiers ont été reliés ultérieurement ; les documents sont alors montés sur onglet). Entrées aux Archives nationales, elles ont été intégrées dans la série T (séquestre). L’archiviste René Tourlet, qui les a inventoriées de 1826 à 18282 a annoté les chemises anciennes et s’est livré à des recherches qui ont été utilisées par les frères Haag dans leur ouvrage monumental consacré aux protestants français (La France protestante..., cf. Bibliographie). Par la suite, l’ensemble des documents relatifs aux affaires protestantes, – incluant donc les archives des consistoires –, provenant du secrétariat d’État de la R. P. R. (ou, à partir
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