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Bernard Palissy, Un Enfant Du Siècle ?

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Bernard Palissy, Un Enfant Du Siècle ? Bernard Palissy, un enfant du siècle ? Acquis aux idées de la Réforme, le célèbre potier et émailleur, Bernard Palissy, organisa l’Église protestante à Saintes. En octobre dernier, Didier Poton de Xaintrailles lui a consacré une conférence. Bernard de Palissy © Claudie de Turckheim Bernard Palissy a vu le jour vers 1510 en Agenais. Né dans une famille paysanne, il quitte sa terre natale pour voir la Guyenne, les Pyrénées, le Languedoc, la Savoie, l’Auvergne, la Bourgogne, la Bretagne et le Poitou. Quelle instruction a-t-il reçue ? Ne serait-ce pas d’abord ces voyages qui constituent sa formation ? Ce qui l’intéresse c’est la végétation, les minéraux et les eaux. Cette curiosité ne lui est pas particulière. Au début du XVIe siècle, des hommes recherchent le « Grand Mystère », par l’observation des éléments qui composent la nature. Tous n’ont pas lu Paracelse… mais le savant italien ne doit-il pas une partie de ses connaissances à des voyages et des contacts avec les habitants qui transmettent des savoirs écartés par les universités. Le jeune Bernard Palissy est dans l’esprit du temps. Qui l’initia ? « Il y eut en ceste ville un certain artisan, pauvre et indigent à merveilles […] » En 1539, il s’établit à Saintes. Qu’est-ce qui motive ce choix ? Sa famille était-elle originaire de Saintonge ? Son mariage avec la fille d’un artisan saintais ? La proposition qui lui est faite de mesurer les surfaces des marais salants du littoral saintongeais tombe à pic. C’est bien payé. Cela prouve aussi que ses compétences de géomètre sont reconnues par les commissaires du roi chargés d’appliquer la réforme des gabelles. Il découvre la richesse de ces marais. Pas simplement la production de sel, une denrée précieuse de plus en plus demandée avec les actives entreprises de pêche à la morue à Terre-Neuve, mais aussi sa richesse végétative. Son métier c’est peintre verrier. Il s’intéresse au travail des potiers de la Chapelle-des-Pots. Au début des années 1540, le seigneur de Marennes, Antoine de Pons, lui montre une coupe émaillée d’un blanc admirable rapportée d’Italie où il avait servi la duchesse de Ferrare, Renée de France. Dans un four construit dans une des tours de la muraille de Saintes mise à la disposition par la municipalité, Bernard Palissy va chercher pendant des années les procédés pour produire des céramiques colorées. Elles seront ornées d’animaux et de plantes en relief qu’il connait bien grâce à ces années d’observation de la nature. Mais ses expériences l’ont ruiné. Il touche quelque argent en dessinant des plans et des portraits pour la justice. Ce qui va le tirer d’affaire, c’est la protection du connétable de Montmorency venu en Guyenne mater la révolte de la gabelle (1548-1549). Amateur d’art, il commande à Palissy des céramiques pour son château d’Écouen. En 1564, Palissy est désigné « architecteur et ynventeur des grotes figulines de Mgr le connétable ». Une protection utile pour un chrétien ayant rompu avec l’Église romaine au cours des années 1550. « … lequel avoit un si grand désir de l’avancement de l’Evangile […] » Palissy « dict le potier » est arrêté pour la première fois en 1559. Il est libéré grâce à l’intervention de nobles catholiques. De même en 1563 mais il faut cette fois-ci le sortir de la conciergerie de Bordeaux. Application de l’édit d’Amboise qui met un terme à la première guerre de religion ? Intervention de ses protecteurs ? Sans doute les deux. En 1565, Charles IX et Catherine de Médicis entreprennent un tour de France pour tenter de restaurer le pouvoir monarchique. Au cours de l’étape saintaise, ils semblent avoir visité l’atelier de Palissy sur la recommandation du connétable de Montmorency. Catherine de Médicis lui octroie la qualité d’ « inventeur des rustiques figulines du Roy et de la Royne, sa mère ». Elle l’engage à venir travailler à Paris. Ce qu’il fait dès 1566 ou 1567. Installé rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, il réalise pour la reine, avec deux de ses enfants, la grotte des Tuileries. La Saint-Barthélemy le contraint à fuir Paris avec sa famille. Il se réfugie à Sedan où le consistoire le convoque régulièrement pour diverses violences, disputes et différents familiaux. Il revient à Paris et publie dans la capitale des études d’hydrologie et de géologie encore reconnues par des savants, tel Fontenelle, au XVIIIe siècle. Mais la situation se dégrade à Paris. La Ligue regroupant les catholiques radicaux contrôle la ville. Son arrestation est demandée. En 1586, il est emprisonné et une sentence de mort est prononcée contre lui. La peine est commuée par le parlement de Paris en bannissement avec obligation de sortir du royaume dans un délai de quinze jours. Il se cache dans la capitale. Il est de nouveau arrêté. Il semble que le roi Henri III le presse de se convertir… La fuite du roi en mai 1588 le laisse sans protection. Il est emprisonné à la Conciergerie puis à la Bastille dans l’attente du bûcher. Il décède en prison en décembre 1590. « l’Église avoit si bien profité […] » Bernard Palissy a vécu environ 25 ans à Saintes. Saintes n’est pas une grande ville mais c’est une ville épiscopale. Une cité dominée par le clergé et les hommes de loi. Peu d’artisans mais des marchands qui tirent profit du ravitaillement des élites ecclésiastiques et laïques. Dans la Recepte véritable, Palissy fait un récit de l’implantation du protestantisme. Ce texte confirme ce nous savons par ailleurs sur son enracinement en Saintonge dans les années 1550. « Plantées » puis « dressées » les Églises s’organisent sur le modèle genevois : un consistoire et un pasteur. Pour Palissy le bien a triomphé du mal. Son livre dénonce la corruption des mœurs, la rapacité et la cupidité de bon nombre de clercs. Des procès témoignent de comportements peu conformes à l’idéal évangélique et aux règles ecclésiastiques. Sans se nommer, Palissy, « un artisan pauvre et indigent » affirme avoir joué un rôle important dans l’organisation des premières réunions clandestines au cours desquelles la Bible est lue et commentée. Se donne-t-il le beau rôle ? Le fait d’être arrêté à deux reprises atteste qu’il est dans le collimateur des autorités. Mais ce qu’il faut retenir du récit de Bernard Palissy sur l’Église de Saintes c’est aussi le caractère paradisiaque de la vie de la communauté réformée : «Vous eussiez veu en ces jours-là es dimanches, les compagnons de mestier se pourmener par les prairies, boscages ou autres lieux plaisans, chantans par troupes pseaumes, cantiques, chansons spirituelles, lisant et s’instruisant les uns les autres. Vous eussiez aussi veu les filles et vierges assises par troupes ès jardins et autres lieux se delectoyent à chanter choses sainctes ». Un court temps d’utopie chrétienne, d’idéal des premiers temps avant les affrontements tragiques qui vont fracasser la vie de millions de Français ? Didier Poton de Xaintrailles, professeur émérite d’histoire de l’université de la Rochelle, président des Amis du musée rochelais d’histoire protestante Références → Histoire et Dictionnaire des Guerres de Religion, Paris, Robert Laffont [Bouquins], 1998. → Histoire des protestants charentais, Saintes, Le Croît Vif, 2001. → M. Seguin, Histoire de l’Aunis et de la Saintonge, vol. 3 (Le début des Temps modernes, 1480-1610), La Crêche, Geste éditions, 2005. Extraits de la Recepte véritable Citation 1 « Il y eust en ceste ville un certain artisan, pauvre et indigent à merveilles, lequel avoit un si grand désir de l’avancement de l’Evangile qu’il le demonstra quelque jour à un auttre artisan aussi pauvre que luy, et d’aussi peu de savoir, car tous deux n’en savoyent guère ; toustefois le premier remonstra à l’autre que s’il vouloit s’employer à faire quelque forme d’exhortation , ce seroit la cause d’un grand fruit ; et combien que le second se sentoit totalement desnué de savoir, cela luy donna courage ; et quelques jours après, il assembla un dimanche au matin neuf ou dix personnes et parce qu’il estoit mal instruit es lettres il avoit tiré quelques passages du vieux et nouveau Testament, les ayant mis par escrit […] Et quand ils furent assemblés, il leur lisoit les passages […] la seconde fin, estoit à fins d’inciter certains auditeurs de faire le semblable ; cr en estoit mesme heure, ils convindrent ensemnle que six d’entre eux exhorteroyent par hebdomade, savoir est, un chacun de six en six semaines les dimanches seulement […] voilà le commencement de l’Eglise réformée de la ville de Xaintes ». Citation 2 « Vous eussiez veu en ces jours de dimanche là es dimanches, les compagnons de mestier se pourmener par les prairies , boscages ou autres lieux plaisants, chantant par troupes pseaumes, cantiques et chansons spirituelles, lisant et s’instruisants les uns les autres. Vous eussiez aussi veu les filles et vierges assises par troupes es jardins se deletoyent à chanter toutes choses sainctes […] »..
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